Family Bonds
by Kishiro Kitsune
Summary: AU Things have never been normal for Yugi and the gang, so when the past is changed in some way it's no surprise that things get even weirder. Especially with Seto and Mokuba not adopted by Gozaboro. Shonen ai later. several original characters included.
1. Chapter 1: Adoption

**PLEASE READ:**

This story is sort of an Alternate Universe of my 'Of the Light' "series". **You do** _not_ **need to read any of the 'Of theLight' fanfictions to understand this one.** It stands on its own.The original characters I made up for DOTSL and COTLE will be used in this fanfiction (.(plus some new ones).) and some of the pairings from them have been carried over. A few of them have been changed.

Before anyone can comment on it, I have changed Mokuba's age for this fanfiction. Instead of there being a five year difference between him and Seto, it will be three years instead. I hope this doesn't confuse anyone too much.

Summary: What if Kojiro (Tama and Kiba's dad) had been the one to adopt Seto and Mokuba and Malik was sent to live with them at age 10? Now that the normal YGO-verse has been demolished, it's time to set up a new one. Take four dragon obsessed kids, a blonde pup, a bunch of people with odd colored hair, four Americans, some 'normal people', and some half-insane spirits and mix 'em all up and what do you get? Chaos, plain and simple.

Pairings: Eventually, Ryou/OC, Bakura/OC, Seto/Katsuya, Ryuji/Shizuka, Yami/Yugi, Malik/OC, Mariku/OC, Mokuba/OC, and various others (.(Yes, I will be using the Japanese names for this story.).) Just to warn you all, because of three of the pairings there **_will be some shonen ai_ **in this story. If you don't like it, then don't read it. And also, there may be some characters that are Out-Of-Character because of some of the events that have been changed.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh, however I do own all of the Original Characters except for three and they belong to my friend.

_**-F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S-**_

_Chapter 1_

"Tama, lets go!" Nine-year-old Kiba Muto yells up the stairs to his six-year-old sister. He has short, dark red hair that has golden-blonde highlights running through it. His bangs are also golden-blonde. He's wearing a long-sleeved black shirt and overtop of it is a blue one and he has on blue jeans and a pair of sneakers

"Comin'!" Tama calls, racing down the stairs as fast as she can go. She has tri-colored hair with the base being dark red. Her bangs are a sandy blonde color and frame her face and the tips of her hair are black. Her hair is pulled up into two ponytails and she's wearing something similar to her brother, except her long sleeved shirt is white and the short-sleeved shirt overtop of it is red and she's wearing a red and white skirt to match it.

Their father, Kojiro Muto, watches them with amusement showing clearly in his amethyst eyes. "Slow down Tama." He says. "I don't want you to hurt yourself. Now, do you have the cookies?"

Tama happily nods and points to the basket setting by the door. "Of course, daddy. They right there."

Kojiro smiles and pats his daughter on the head. "Well then, lets get going!"

Within minutes the family of three is on the road to Domino City's orphanage. Kojiro is donating some money to the place and Tama and Kiba are going to be handing out cookies to the kids.

They arrive at the orphanage at a quarter past two, and Kojiro goes to talk to some of the adults running the place which leaves Kiba and Tama to hand out cookies. The two separate the job. Kiba gives out cookies to the kids 8 and up while Tama hands out cookies to the ones that are younger. It's while doing so that she comes across an adorable three-year-old boy being picked on.

Tama bristles upon seeing the sight, her lilac eyes flashing dangerously, a surefire sign that she's angry about something. Then she marches over to the boys. "What do you think you're doing!" She exclaims loudly. "Leave him alone and pick on someone your own size!"

One of the bullies smirks and turns to face her. "Like you."

Tama takes a step back, as if nervous, and sets down the basket of cookies. That way she's completely prepared when the two boys lunge for her. Using some moves that her brother taught her, she strikes one in the back of the knees and kicks the other in the stomach, knocking the air out of him. Then she grabs the basket and the boys hand and runs off to a more crowded area with at least two adults in it before they can recover.

The boy she rescued trembles for a moment and then begins crying. Tama looks at him in alarm and then grabs a cookie from the basket. "Hey, it's alright. They gone." She tells him. "Do you want a cookie?"

The boy sniffs and nods and then accepts the cookie Tama hands him. After he finishes it he looks up at Tama with watery blue-gray eyes. "Thank you."

Tama smiles. "No problem. I'm Tama. What's your name?"

"Mo-"

The boy is cut off by a brunette exclaiming, "Mokuba!" as he hurries toward the two. Tama notes that he seems to be her own age.

"Big brother!" The raven-haired child, whose name has been identified to be Mokuba, yells.

The brunette soon reaches them and tightly hugs Mokuba. "Are you okay? I saw you getting picked on but I couldn't get there in time. They didn't hurt you did they?" He asks worriedly.

Mokuba shakes his head 'no'. "She saved me."

Tama turns a little pink when the brunette looks up at her. "It was nothing. I don' like mean people like them that think they can pick on kids smaller than them."

"Thank you for helping him." Seto says sincerely. He smiles and then holds out his hand for Tama to shake. "I'm Seto."

Tama smiles as well and then introduces herself. "I'm Tama."

For the next few minutes the three, mostly Tama and Seto though, talk to one another about random little things until Tama remembers that she's suppose to be handing out cookies. Then Seto insists on helping her since she helped Mokuba. Mokuba, of course, tags along while the other two hand out the rest of the cookies. All too soon Kojiro comes to retrieve his daughter with Kiba by his side.

Tama reluctantly leaves her new friends, but promises to return to play sometime. Seto and Mokuba look out one of the windows as the tri-color haired girl and her family leaves, hoping that she will be able to come back. To their surprise, the Muto family returns the next weekend with more cookies. And it continues weekend after weekend until a Saturday in December.

It's an ordinary day; unless the fact that it was Christmas counts. The Muto family arrives at the same time as they usually do with a basket load of gingerbread cookies. Kojiro appears a little nervous, having heard rumors about Gozaburo Kaiba coming to visit the orphanage. Being a company owner himself, Kojiro has heard rumors about how ruthless Gozaburo is and can't help but fear for the children if the man decides to adopt.

He particularly fears for Seto, who, despite his young age, is a very bright boy and could easily attract the attention of the company owner. Against his will, Kojiro has developed a soft spot for his daughter and now his son's two orphaned friends. So much of a soft spot that he's considering something he never thought he would since his wife died. In the past he discussed the idea numerous times with his wife, but since he died the subject lost it's appeal. Until now.

Kojiro blinks back tears at the thought of his wonderful wife and then shakes his head as if to clear it of those sad thoughts. Then his gaze drifts back toward the four kids who are handing out cookies as they do every weekend. His amethyst eyes soften at the sight and it's then that he makes up his mind.

Tama giggles at a joke Seto has just told as she hands out another cookie. "I got one." She says. "What did the man say when he walked into a bar?"

Kiba grins. "I dunno, sis. What'd he say?"

"Ouch!" Tama exclaims, laughing when Mokuba looks worriedly at her and asks if she's alright. "I fine! It's part of the joke. He walked into a metal bar so he's gonna say 'ouch' or 'ow' or somethin'."

Mokuba giggles, now getting the joke.

Kiba is about to tell one of his own when his and Tama's dad walks up to them.

"It's time to go home." Kojiro says.

Tama frowns. "But daddy, we haven't handed out all the cookies yet and I wanted to play with Seto and Mokuba."

Kojiro smiles softly. "You'll have plenty of time to play with them once we get home."

It takes about five seconds for this statement to register in Seto and Kiba's minds and once those two make an exclamation of some sort, Tama catches on. Mokuba figures it out a few seconds after Tama does.

"Daddy, are they really coming home with us?" Tama asks excitedly.

Kojiro smiles broadly, a warmth filling him for the first time in ages. "That's right! Seto and Mokuba are going to officially be Seto and Mokuba Muto; your new brothers." The warmth grows when Tama squeals and hugs her new brothers tightly and Kiba laughs at the expressions on the two's faces. _'Nashwa, remember that dream you had of having a big family? I'm finally fulfilling it.'_

_**-F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S-**_

Shiro: And so the plot changes already. I'm going to enjoy working with Seto for this one. (rubs hands together)

Bast: (rolls eyes) Hikari, don't get him too out-of-character.

Shiro: Yeah, but right now he's just a little kid and don't forget that he's going to grow up with a friendly family this time. I do have an idea that will put him more in character though. Just you wait!

Damian: Am I going to be in this one?

Shiro: What do you think?

Damian: (blinks) YES! (does victory dance) I'm in it! I'm in it! I'm-

_-BONK!-_

Shiro: Knock it off, drama-boy.

Damian: I have a new nickname too! I feel so loved!

Shiro: (groans) Oh goddess...

**NEXT TIME**: Christmas-y-ness, snow galore, and strange dreams.


	2. Chapter 2: Presents

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh, however I do own all of the Original Characters except for three and they belong to my friend. (They'll be mentioned later)

_**-F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S-**_

_Chapter 2_

Seto and Mokuba stare in awe at the snow-covered two-story house in front of them once they get out of the car. Tama climbs out behind the two brothers and promptly falls face first into the snow. Kiba laughs at his sister, having already gotten out of the front seat and Kojiro sighs heavily.

"This is where you live?" Seto asks in a small voice.

Tama nods. "Yup! This is where we live. Come on! I'll show you guys around!" With that being said, the young girl proceeds to drag her new brothers around the house to show them everything. And I mean everything.

It starts off with just the basics; the living room, the kitchen, the bedrooms. Then it spreads to the closets, the bathrooms, the attic, the basement, and the numerous hiding places around the house. By the time she's done showing them around, Kojiro has already cooked up a quick snack for them all.

"Oooo! Onigiri! I love these!" Tama exclaims happily. She is considerate enough to pass a few to Seto and Mokuba before beginning to scarf down her own. Kiba and their father already have their own plates.

The others watch in amusement as Tama eats the most out of any of them and then looks pleadingly at her father for more.

Kojiro chuckles. "Easy now, baby-dragon. Save room for dinner."

"What are we having for dinner, daddy?" Tama asks eagerly.

Kiba grins. "We have no idea, sis. We're heading over to grandpa's for dinner tonight. It is Christmas, after all."

After that Tama explains to Seto and Mokuba that their grandfather runs a game shop with the help of their cousin Yugi and every year for Christmas they have dinner with them. After dinner they usually open presents.

While Tama is talking to her new younger brothers, Kiba looks up at his dad, confusion showing in his amethyst eyes. "Dad, what are we going to do about presents for Seto and Mokuba? There's not much time to go get anything."

Kojiro smiles mysteriously. "Worry not, Kiba. I've got it all under control."

Kiba doesn't look very convinced, but he drops the conversation and goes to join in on his sibling's conversation.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Several hours later the large Muto family has crowded into the living room of Grandpa Muto's home after eating a large dinner consisting of numerous different foods and Christmas cake. Kojiro is the last to enter the room and he's carrying a large red bag.

"Alright, who's ready to open presents?" He asks, looking around the room.

"ME!" Yugi and Tama shout at the same time, jumping up.

The two adults laugh at their excitement and then the two of them begin handing out presents to everyone except for Seto and Mokuba. Then they get to the bottom of the bag.

"And here's one for Seto and one for Mokuba. And two more for each of you." Kojiro says, handing one present after another to the two boys.

Their faces light up with childlike wonder as they look at the brightly wrapped gifts, having not received any gifts for a long time. Soon the room is filled with the sounds of ripping paper as each of the kids pick a present to open and then open it at the same time. The process is repeated two more times, which is when it's only Yugi who has a present left setting in front of him.

"Be careful with this one, Yugi." Grandpa warns. "It's very delicate."

Yugi looks at the box thoughtfully and then carefully begins to untie the ribbon. He gets it off after much hassling with the ribbon and then lifts the lid off the box. He gasps in wonder and reaches in and pulls out a small green snake. "Cool…" Yugi gently reaches out and, after letting the snake "taste" him, strokes the small creatures head softly. "I'm gonna name her Syss."

Tama giggles. "Can I pet her?"

Yugi nods and holds out his hand toward Tama. The newly named Syss lifts up her head and looks at Tama with her beady black eyes. Then she flicks out her tongue quickly and rests her head back down on Yugi's hand.

Soon the small snake and Yugi have a small crowd around them, consisting of Tama, Kiba, Seto, and Mokuba. Syss and Yugi are apparently the stars for tonight.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Later that night the five children are found running around outside having a snowball fight. Tama and Yugi have teamed up against Kiba, Mokuba, and Seto and Seto and Mokuba make up another team. Poor Kiba is stuck all alone against his family. Of course, he does have the best "snow fort" out of all of them and he's older, so it's actually fair.

Tama laughs as a snowball collides with Yugi's head and most of it stick there. Yugi retaliates by throwing two snowballs at Seto, and one of them hits. When Mokuba starts laughing, Kiba and Tama both throw a snowball at him and Seto playfully shoves him into the snow. Then they all gang up on Kiba, first by blinding him with snowballs and then by jumping on him.

By the time they head inside that night, they're all soaking wet, freezing, cold, and in need of a nice cup of hot chocolate.

That night they all sleep over at the Kame Game Shop and by morning they're all found cuddled up together in a mass of blankets and pillows. Tama's head is laying on Yugi's stomach, Seto's laying beside Tama, Mokuba is draped across both Tama and Seto, and Kiba is beside Yugi rolled over onto his side and facing away from the younger boy.

Kojiro is the first one to see them in the morning, and he manages to snap a few pictures of them before Kiba starts to awaken. Once the oldest child does awaken, Kojiro smiles and quickly hides the camera. Then he bustles off to go make pancakes shaped like Christmas trees and snowmen.

Soon everyone in the home has awakened and the shop is buzzing with energy. Kiba, Yugi, and Seto are discussing something to do with games while Tama and Mokuba take turns weaving a funny little Christmas story about a pink bunny and cookies.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

And so the days progress. Every few weekends the Muto family gets together to goof off and play and they get together for each holiday. Whose house the holiday is spent at depends on who draws the first straw on New Years and after that it alternates between the two houses. Tama and Seto both see Yugi at school each day and every now and then Kiba sees him. Mokuba stays at home since he's still too young.

At school they befriend a boy with bright purple hair and mint green eyes named Damian Mizu. He's a month older than Tama, which makes him two months older than Yugi. Surprisingly, he fits right in with the strange family.

Nearly two years pass, which makes Yugi, Damian, and Tama all eight, Seto seven, Mokuba five, and Kiba eleven. Fortunately for Seto, it's his birthday! That's right, it's October 25th and Yugi and Damian are coming over for a sleepover to celebrate the brunette's birthday.

Tama giggles as she attempts to put a pointed metallic blue birthday hat on Yugi's head.

"Tama, you know it's not going to stay on." Kiba comments as he walks by with a pile of gifts for the second youngest Muto. "I'd give it up now." He himself had had a hard time getting the hat to stay on his head. Eventually he got so frustrated with it that he tied his hair back into a ponytail.

Mokuba follows after him with two presents, blue-gray eyes shining with excitement. Then he sees Yugi and laughs. "Yugi looks silly! He needs two hats, sissy! Not one!" Then he runs off after Kiba.

Tama laughs and pulls out another hat. "Mokie's right! You need two hats!" And with that said, she carefully puts the second hat on Yugi's head and then takes a step back. "Ta-da! All done!"

Yugi sighs with relief and then snaps one onto Tama's head. "There. Now we all have hats."

Then the two spot Kojiro walking past without a hat and identical evil smiles form on their faces. The two share a glance and then run off to put two hats on Tama's dad's head.

Some time later, after cake has been eaten and the presents have been opened, the five Muto kids plus Damian have assembled themselves in the living room amidst a pile of blankets and pillows. Mokuba and Kiba have long since fallen asleep, worn out from the exciting day. Seto, Damian, Tama, and Yugi are still up and are talking quietly.

"You know, I had the weirdest dream last night." Yugi comments. "All of us were in it, except for Kiba. But it was really weird."

"Weird?" Tama questions. "How was it weird?"

Yugi thinks for a moment. "We were old. Older than Kiba. Seto, you were hugging this blonde boy and Tama was sitting in some boy's lap. I think he had white hair. Mokuba was sitting off to the side laughing at some boy with light blue hair. I'm not really sure what he was laughing at though. And Damian was teasing some girl with dark blonde hair."

Seto looks at Yugi, puzzled. "How is that a weird dream?"

"There…" Yugi pauses for a moment. "There was another me, but not me. And he… he kissed me!" He glances at Kiba and Mokuba to make sure he didn't wake them up with the last part of the sentence. "Isn't that weird?"

"Well… I guess that is a little weird." Tama says. "But it's just a silly dream, Yugi. It's not real. Right, Seto?"

Seto nods. "That's right. Just a dream. Right, Damian."

"Yeah, dreams can be silly like that." Damian contributes. Then he yawns. "I'm going to sleep now. G'night."

"Night." Tama and Seto echo, shortly followed by Yugi.

'_Just a silly dream…' _Yugi thinks as he drifts off. _'Yeah…'_

_**-F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S-**_

Kitsune: You gave Yugi a pet snake...

Shiro: Yup! (holds up Syss) Isn't she cute?

Kitsune: (backs away) _Cute! _You call that thing _cute_? Get it away from me! (runs away when Shiro gets closer)

Shiro: (snickers) I love torturing her.

Keitaro: Bast has been a bad influence on you, Shi-chan.

Shiro: (shrugs) Oh well. (puts Syss away) Pity I forgot about Syss in my chapter planning. Remind me to squeeze her in there somewhere.

Bast: Will do!

Damian: Yay! I was in this chapter! (does victory dance)

Shiro: And now he's become the King of Randomness.

Damian: Yes, and you are my Queen of Randomness, kitten.

Shiro: Sure, why not.

Damian: Yay! (hugs Shiro) And now that I have my queen we shall-

Shiro: Finish that sentence and die.

Damian: You don't really want to kill me, do you?

Shiro: No. And I won't be the one to kill you. (points to Keitaro)

Keitaro: (growling)

Damian: (gulps) Oh... it's the touching thing, isn't it?

Shiro: That and what you were most likely about to say.

Damian: Ahh... possessive thing, isn't he?

Shiro: (nods) Yup.

Damian: (lets go of Shiro) I think I'll be going now. (runs off)

Keitaro: (glomps Shiro) Mine.

Shiro: (giggles) Always.

**NEXT TIME**: Moving, the sun, a new friend, and a dog.


	3. Chapter 3: Moving

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh, however I do own all of the Original Characters except for one and he belongs to my friend.

_**-F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S-**_

_Chapter 3_

It's a few months after Seto's birthday that the Muto family receives some bad news and some good news. The good news is that Kojiro has gotten the job he applied for which may eventually help him start his own company. The bad news is that he and his kids will have to move to England because of it. It's a sad, gray day in February when they leave their cozy home in Domino City, Japan. Damian, Yugi, and Grandpa Sugoroku see them off on the plane, the two younger boys hiding their tears until the others have already left on the plane.

Tama openly cries into Seto's shirt once they're on the plane and Mokuba soon follows. Even Seto can't help but cry. Meanwhile Kiba stares blankly out the window and Kojiro looks helplessly at his children. _'I hate seeing them upset like this… but it is for the best. I'm sure they'll like it in London.'_

Hours later Tama can be found asleep with her head laying on Seto's shoulder. Mokuba is asleep in Tama's lap all curled up and is hugging a stuffed animal puppy he got for his birthday. Seto has one arm around them both and is slowly drifting off to sleep. Across the aisle, Kojiro is reading a book and Kiba's suffering from a combination of altitude sickness and motion sickness. Poor thing.

Several more hours later and the family of five has arrived in London and Kojiro goes to rent a car so they can get to their new home. He eventually finds one that they will all fit into, rents it, and puts the luggage that they are carrying in the back while the kids get into the van. Soon they're off to their new home just outside of London.

It's nighttime by the time they arrive, so they don't get much of a chance to see what the house and yard looks like, let alone the neighborhood. Instead they head inside with their suitcases and Kojiro gives them a tour of the small, three-bedroom house. He shows them the bedrooms last, intending it to be a good surprise for them.

"And here, is your three's room." He gestures to Tama, Seto, and Mokuba. "Welcome to the Dragon's Den." He says, opening the night-sky painted door with a flourish.

The three gasp and look at their room in awe. The walls are painted an off-white, almost creamy color and the only thing in the room is the triple decker bunk bed set up against the wall. What really sticks out are the dragons that have been carefully painted on the wall and partially onto the ceiling, which has been painted the same as the door. There are five dragons painted on the walls; the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, the Red Eyes Black Dragon, and the three Chaotic Dragons of Light, Darkness, and Shadow.

Kojiro chuckles at the look of amazement on each of his children's faces, including Kiba's. "Alright you three, go on to bed. It's getting late."

"I call middle bunk!" Tama yells, running across the room and springing easily into the middle bunk bed.

Mokuba laughs. "I want the lowest bunk!" Then he too runs across the room and climbs onto the bunk bed.

Seto mock-sighs in frustration. "Darn, I guess I have to take the top bunk. Oh, I'm so disappointed."

Tama and Mokuba both giggle while Kojiro chuckles and Kiba grins.

Soon the three youngest are all tucked into bed, and Mokuba has already fallen asleep. Kojiro leads Kiba off to his room at this time. Kiba's room is done up in the same style as the other three's room, except without the dragons. Instead he has a more Egyptian theme with pyramids, hieroglyphics, and a phoenix painted onto the walls.

Soon all of the lights in the house are out and each of its residents are fast asleep.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Tama happily stretches her arms in the air, letting the sunlight hit her full in the face. "Mou, it's such a wonderful morning, ne Seto-kun?"

Seto steps out of the house right behind Tama and right beside his is Mokuba. "It's certainly bright."

Tama grins. "It's called the sun, Seto. And you're not suppose to look at it." She teases.

Mokuba giggles and Seto rolls his eyes, but he can't help but smile.

Tama hops down the three porch steps and then turns around to look at her brothers. "Do you guys think there are any kids close by that we can play with?"

Seto shrugs. "Dunno."

There's silence between the three while Mokuba and Seto walk down the steps. Then Mokuba comes up with an idea and runs forward and taps Tama on the arm. "You're it!" He says with a giggle before running off toward the backyard.

As Tama turns around to tag Seto the brunette takes off running after Mokuba. Laughing, the tri-color haired girl runs after the two, determined to tag one of them.

Next door a boy around Tama and Seto's age peers out of a window on the second floor. His brown eyes widen slightly in surprise and then he walks away from the window.

Tama laughs as she and Mokuba run around the yard trying to avoid Seto. Then she trips over her own feet and falls flat on her face. Seto stops himself just in time before he steps on her and trips and falls on her.

"Tama, are you alright?" Seto asks.

Tama pushes herself up onto her knees and brushes off the little scrapes she's gotten. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Seto grins. "Well, in that case," He taps her on the head. "you're it." He's back to running at once and Tama is soon chasing after him. None of them notice the white-haired boy peering over the fence until the wood starts cracking and the board he's one comes loose, sending the boy tumbling into the Muto's yard.

Tama gasps and rushes forward to help him. "Are you alright?" Spotting a scrape on his arm, Tama looks to Seto. "Seto-nii-chan, go get otou-san and tell him we need the first aide kit."

Seto nods and then rushes off into the house to retrieve their dad and Mokuba hovers nearby worriedly, not knowing what to do to help. Tama tries to distract the boy by talking to him.

"I'm Mu- I mean, Tamashira Muto, but I go by Tama. That's my little brother Mokuba and the other boy is my brother Seto. I've got an older brother too. His name's Kiba." She chatters.

"I'm Ryou Bakura." He says softly. "It's nice to meet you."

Seto comes running out of the house with Kiba in tow. Kiba s carrying a large first aide kit that he and their dad have put together.

"I couldn't find otou-san so I got aniki." Seto apologizes.

Kiba sits down beside Ryou and opens the first aide kit with a sigh. Then he pulls out a large band-aide and Neosporin and quickly applies it to the wound. It's safe to say he's used to this because of how often Tama gets hurt because of her clumsy-ness.

"Aniki, this is Ryou Bakura." Tama says. "Bakura-kun, this is our big brother, Kiba."

Ryou shyly smiles. "Hello. … Thanks for the band-aide."

Kiba smiles. "No problem! Tama's always getting hurt, so I'm used to bandaging up people. Now, if you'll excuse me," he hands the first aide kit to Seto, figuring it will be need before too long. Then he stands up. "I have go finishing unpacking. Something you three should be doing." Seto, Mokuba, and Tama look away. "It's nice to meet you, Bakura-chan." Kiba gives a short bow and then goes back into the house.

"Hey, Bakura-kun, do you want to play with us?" Tama asks.

"Sure." Ryou replies just as quietly as ever.

"Can we call you Ryou?" Mokuba asks, practically clinging to Seto. "Back home it's polite to call people by their last name, but I'm not sure how it goes here."

Ryou hesitates for a moment before nodding. "Okay. Mokuba-kun." (1)

Tama smiles. "Great! You can call us by our first names so it doesn't get confusing. So, who wants to play hide-and-seek?"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Needless to say, they become good friends with Ryou. Tama especially likes playing with him and the two spend most of their time together stargazing and playing board games. When Seto and Mokuba and occasionally Kiba and Kojiro join them they run around the yard, play cards and large-group board games, and watch movies. Strangely, this is all discovered in the course of three days.

Now it's Monday and it's Tama, Seto, and Kiba's first day of school. Seto and Tama are surprised to find that they're in the same class as Ryou, although they are happy that they are.

The three can now help one another with their work and will always have someone to play with during recess.

By the end of the week, Ryou is willing to count Tama and Seto as his best friends and Kiba and Mokuba as friends. He's also starting to open up more around them and not being quite so quiet.

Then comes the dog. He is large and wolf-like with a black coat and silver-blue eyes. He is also underweight and his ribs can be seen. And he's the friendliest dog in the world. The kids instantly love him.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Tama giggles as the dog nudges his wet nose at her throat and then licks her cheek. She, Ryou, Seto, Mokuba, and Kiba are all sitting in the Muto's backyard around the dog.

Mokuba shies away from the large animal, sticking close to Seto. Kiba watches the dogs movements and eyes carefully to make sure the dog won't hurt anyone. Thankfully, the dog is enjoying the attention and the last thing on his mind is to hurt them.

Now Ryou giggles as the dog sticks his nose in his ear and blows noisily.

"Hey, what's going on out here?" Kojiro asks, stepping into the backyard. "Who's this?"

"Otou-san, can we keep him, please? Onegai?" Tama begs. "Pretty please?"

"Yeah, otou-san, please?" Mokuba begs as well. He may be a little wary of the large dog, but that doesn't mean he doesn't like him.

Then Seto and Kiba join in and even Ryou looks hopeful and Kojiro can't help but cave in.

"Alright. What are you going to name them?" He asks them all.

The five kids converse for a moment before deciding on a name.

"Padfoot!" (2)

Kojiro sweat drops, wondering exactly where they go that name. "Okay, Padfoot it is. So who wants to come with me to buy food and stuff for our new companion?"

"Me!" Kiba, Seto, and Mokuba shout.

Kojiro laughs. "Alright. I'm going to ask Ms. Smith to baby-sit you two. You cause far too much trouble when you're alone." He says to Tama. Then he waves to the old lady who's their other neighbor and walks over to the fence to talk to her.

And so they gain a new friend to play with.

_**-F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S-**_

Words:

nii-chan: brother

otou-san: dad

aniki: older brother

onegai: please

(1) Explanation for Ryou's use of 'Mokuba-kun'; he's lived in Japan during some point in his life but has lived in England longer. I know in the actual show he never even lived in England, but this _is_ an AU and a fanfiction.

(2) Padfoot: Three guesses as to where I got this name, first two don't count. I wish I had gone with Buddy, which was the original name I picked out...

0-0-0-0

Shiro: (sighs) The others are all sleeping, so I'm left all alone.

Kaze: (sarcastically) What am I? A piece of lint?

Shiro: (ignoring Kaze) Are things getting interesting yet? I know it seems to be moving kind of fast, but I want to get to the "action-filled" plot.

Kaze: (snorts) Action-filled, yeah right.

Shiro: (still ignoring Kaze) Feel free to ask any questions you like. If I can answer them, I will.

**NEXT CHAPTER**: Death, birthday blues, tape, and games.


	4. Chapter 4: Birthday Blues

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh, however I do own all of the Original Characters except for three and they belong to my friend. (They'll be mentioned later)

_**-F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S-**_

_Chapter 4_

A few months have passed since Kojiro, Kiba, Seto, Mokuba, and Tama arrived in England. Ryou has practically joined the close-nit family because of his father being gone so much. There are few days when he actually sleeps at his own house.

It's now May and it's nearly Tama's birthday. The guys are all having trouble hiding their gifts from her, with the exception of Ryou.

All of them are excited, especially Tama. She's already gotten everything organized and has picked out the movies to watch for the sleepover. Mokuba and Kojiro have baked her a cake and Ryou is planning on making cookies for them to snack on.

The day before Tama's birthday, tragedy strikes.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Ryou looks worriedly at Tama's empty desk and then attempts to catch Seto's eye. Seto seems to be not even paying attention at all as he isn't taking notes or raising his hand like usual. Add in the fact that none of the Muto's rode the bus that morning and Seto arrived late to class and you know something is wrong.

Seto manages to avoid Ryou for the entire day and he and Kiba don't ride the bus home that evening. (Mokuba hasn't started school yet.) After school, Ryou hurries to the Muto's house and is surprised when he isn't greeted by the lovable black beast of a dog, Padfoot.

"Muto-san?" Ryou politely inquires as he opens the door.

A few seconds later Kojiro walks down the hallway in his frog slippers and smiles sadly at him. "Hello, Ryou. I'm guessing Seto didn't tell you what happened."

Ryou shakes his head. "No, he didn't. Is Tama alright?"

"She's fine." Kojiro assures him. "She's just upset and has locked herself in her room. He runs a hand through his hair. "Ryou… there's no easy way to say this, but Padfoot was hit by a car last night. We… we had to bury him in the backyard."

Ryou gasps and tears fill his eyes at the thought of the large black dog being gone. Then he begins crying. Kojiro's parental instincts take over and he goes and comforts the boy.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

The next morning Tama shuffles downstairs in unlatching pajama's with her shoulder-length hair a complete mess and her eyes red and puffy. She silently enters the kitchen and sits down at the table.

Soon the other members of the Muto household are gathered in the kitchen along with Ryou, who spent the night.

"Otou-san, do we have to celebrate?" Tama asks.

Kojiro looks over the newspaper he's picked up in surprise. "Tama, you've been planning this party for a month! Padfoot wouldn't want you to be sad and not have fun, you know he always hated that."

Tama nods miserably. "I know."

A look of determination washes over Kiba's face and he gets up. "Alright! No more crying, do you all hear me? We're suppose to be having fun and goofing off today, so lets get to it!"

"Hear, hear!" Seto says in agreement. He picks up the Entertainment section of he newspaper and locates the movies. "So what movie do we want to see?"

Less than an hour later the kids are running around playing in the backyard, waiting to go to the movie theater. Padfoot's death in the back of their minds, the kids goof off and have fun the entire day.

Then comes time for Tama to unwrap the gifts she's received. The five Muto's and Ryou are gathered in the living room.

"Lets open the present from your grandpa and Yugi first." Kojiro suggests, handing a colorfully wrapped package with far too many ribbons on it to Tama.

Tama giggles and carefully pulls the ribbons off and sets them aside. Then she rips off the wrapping paper. Tama giggles more when she sees what they've sent her. Setting in front of her is her favorite board game, Candy Land, and two packs of duel monster cards.

"Open mine now!" Mokuba says, handing Tama two wrapped objects. Most of the wrapping paper on both of them is covered in tape.

"So that's where all of our tape disappeared to." Kiba teases the five-year-old.

Tama easily peals off the tape covering the wrapping paper and balls it up before tossing it into the trash bag Seto holds open for her. "Score!" She says happily before going back to unwrapping the first present from Mokuba.

"A pillow! Aww, thanks Mokie! It's adorable!" She hugs the pillow to her chest and then gets up and hugs her little brother.

"I made it myself!" Mokuba says proudly. "Open the other one."

Tama eagerly opens the other tape-covered gift and grins upon seeing the small bag of homemade chocolate. "You're so sweet!" She exclaims as she hugs him again.

"Alright, now mine!" Kiba tells her, handing Tama a bag. "You're gonna like this one, sis."

Tama pulls a box out of the bag and grins. "Model Black Dragon. Build-it-yourself." She reads. Along with the model Black Dragon she get a model Red Dragon and a pack of duel monster cards.

Next Tama opens her gift from Seto and gets a sketchpad, some pencils, and a book on mythical creatures. And from Damian she gets a book about dragons and a framed picture he drew of a family of griffins.

Then Kojiro hands her a small box. "I want you to be really careful with this, Tama. It was pretty expensive, so don't lose it."

Tama nods. "I'll be careful, otou-san. I promise." Then she unties the ribbon and opens the box. Her eyes widen when she sees what's inside. "THANK YOU!" She squeals, bouncing across the room to tightly hug her dad. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Kojiro laughs. "Easy, baby-girl. Did you see what's under the pendant?"

Tama nods. "Uh huh. It's the super-rare Dragon of Chaotic Light that there's only one of in the whole world! Thank you!"

"You're very welcome." Kojiro says. "Now, who wants to eat some cake?"

"ME!"

"To the kitchen then!" Kojiro says, leading the way.

Seto, Mokuba, and Kiba follow, but Ryou holds Tama back for a moment.

"Happy birthday." Ryou says, holding out a container of homemade food. On top of it is a Luster Dragon plushy.

"Oh, Ryou. Thank you." Tama says. "I love it!" She takes the plushy and sets it on her shoulder. Then she opens the container and inhales the sweet scent. "Mmm… it smells so good. What are these?" Tama asks.

Ryou blushes. "Cream puffs. I made them myself."

Tama smiles and sets aside the container so she can hug her friend. "Thank you. You wanna share them later?" She asks.

"I'd like that." Ryou says.

"Great!" Tama exclaims. "Now lets go get some cake before otou-san and Mokie eat it all!"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**May 31, 1999: Domino City, Japan**

"Yugi!" Grandpa calls from downstairs. "Your friend Anzu is here to see you!"

"Coming grandpa!" Yugi yells down. Less than a minute later the 8-year-old runs downstairs and smiles at his friend. "Hi, Anzu. You wanna play 'Sorry' today or do you want to play tag in the yard?"

Anzu thinks for a moment while fingering one of her two ponytails. "You choose today, Yugi. It doesn't matter to me."

"Alright. Lets play tag first and then we'll play 'Sorry'." Yugi says.

"Sounds good to me!" Anzu says cheerfully. She grabs Yugi's hand and pulls him outside to play.

"Have fun you two!" Grandpa yells after them.

_**-F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S-**_

Shiro: And now you know why I wish I had gone with the original name for the dog. (groans) I don't believe it. I've killed him off. (goes off to cry)

Damian: My poor kitten... I must go cheer her up! (goes to find Shiro)

Keitaro: (growls)

Bast: Jealous much?

Keitaro: Shuddup. I'd like to see how you'd react if there was some girl going after Kyle.

Bast: I'd act rationally and without any growling. I trust Kyle-kun.

Keitaro: (grumbles)

Bast: They're just friends. Really close friends, but friends none-the-less. Although Damian might have a teeny tiny crush on Shiro...

Keitaro: (storms off to find Shiro and Damian)

Kyle: (taps Bast on the head) Stop being mean.

Bast: (laughs) You know I can't resist!

Kyle: And because of you we now have a love-triangle going on.

Bast: Me? Why, you give me far too much credit.

Kyle: You were the one who suggested we invite Damian to join us.

Bast: True... but I also suggested that we bring Riley in to keep him under control. Hikari just said her head is crowded enough and that Riley is almost too much like Kitsune. Can't say I didn't try!

Kyle: (sighs) I give up...

**NEXT CHAPTER**: Surprise, oddities, gold, and family.

_A little note_: I'm pretty sure not many people check my profile much, so I'm gonna say this here. I've made a strange little website for fun called "The Muse Network". You can check it out if you want to. The link's on my profile page on the 'homepage' link.


	5. Chapter 5: The Golden Dragon Arrives

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh, however I do own all of the Original Characters except for one and he belongs to my friend.

_**-F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S-**_

_Chapter 5_

Yugi yawns as he walks down the stairs. He looks around in confusion when he notices all of the lights are out. "Grandpa?" He asks, walking into the living room. Yugi flicks on the lights.

"SURPRISE!!!"

Yugi jumps in shock when he grandpa and Anzu spring out of their hiding places and throw confetti into the air.

"Happy birthday, Yugi!" Anzu exclaims, leaping over the couch to hug a stunned Yugi.

"W-what?"

"Surely you haven't forgotten your own birthday, Yugi." Grandpa says, holding out a wrapped package. "Now come over here and open your presents! The gifts from your cousins and uncle arrived earlier this morning."

"They did?" Yugi asks, detangling himself from Anzu's hug. "It got here on time?"

Grandpa nods. "Yup. And a card came with it." He hands Yugi the white enveloped card. "Read it aloud, Yugi."

"'_Wishing you a happy birthday…'"_ Yugi opens the card and smiles when a picture falls out of it. He catches it and continues reading. _"'Love, Uncle Kojiro, Kiba, Tama, Seto, and Mokuba.'" _He looks at the picture and smiles. "Look! They sent a picture from Tama's birthday. I wonder who the white haired boy is…" _'He looks familiar.'_

"Flip it over." Anzu says. "There's something on the other side."

Yugi flips it over._ "'Here's us and our new friend Ryou-chan. Love, Tama.'"_

The door slams open at this time and a half-dressed Damian skids into the room. His hair's a mess and half up in a ponytail on the side of his head, his shirt is on backwards, he's wearing pajama pants with ducks on them, he's got two different shoes on and just one sock, and there's a piece of toast in his mouth. He grabs the piece of toast before speaking. "Sorry I'm late! Power went out in our apartment last night and messed up my alarm clock."

"It's okay, Damian." Yugi says, trying to hold back a laugh. "Nice pants."

Damian looks down at his pants and turns red.

Anzu giggles. "At least he didn't run out in just his underwear like he did that one time."

Damian turns even more red. "That was because you dared me to! Not my fault!"

The others laugh at the memory, but they soon settle down.

"Here, Yugi. Happy birthday." Damian says, handing Yugi a crumpled card. "I couldn't do much 'cause dad's saving up for something or other."

Yugi smiles and takes the card. "Thanks, Damian." He looks at the cover and reads it. _"'Another year has passed…'" _He opens it up to see one of Damian's many doodles. This time it's a bored looking puppy-Damian wearing a birthday hat and holding a sign that reads, "Whoopee…" Yugi turns to the next page. _"'So here's some money! Have some fun and par-tay!'" _There's a second drawing, this one of puppy-Damian and kitten-Yugi dancing and each holding a piece of cake.

Damian hands Yugi some yen. (Whatever amount is equal to ten dollars)

"Thanks, Damian." Yugi says, giving the purple-haired boy a hug. He then proceeds to open the rest of his gifts before they go to the kitchen to eat breakfast.

From Kojiro he gets two new video games. Kiba has sent a book about ancient Egypt and a bad of candy. Tama has sent him a couple of games; Yatzee and some playing cards. From Mokuba and Seto he gets a bunch of packs of duel monster cards, a picture Mokuba drew, and a Kuriboh plushy. And from Anzu he gets money and a book of riddles.

For the rest of the day Yugi hangs out with Anzu and Damian until they both have to go home. It's then that Grandpa gives Yugi his final present.

"I found this when I visited Egypt a long time ago." Grandpa says. "I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it, but something tells me that it belongs with you." He carefully pulls a dust covered box down from the shelf. "Be very careful with it, Yugi. This entire thing is made of gold."

Yugi looks at the box in awe. "Wow, grandpa…! What do the pictures on the side mean?"

Grandpa sets the box down on the counter. "Those are called hieroglyphics and it says, _'The one who solves me shall gain the powers and knowledge of darkness_'." (1)

"Neat… so what is it?" Yugi asks, opening the lid. He gasps when he sees the sparkling gold pieces in the box. "Wow… so pretty."

"No one has ever been able to solve that puzzle, Yugi. So don't be disappointed if you can't."

Yugi smiles brightly. "I'm going to solve it, grandpa! I'll make you proud!"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**June 7, 1999: England, Poplar Drive**

A raven haired girl walks down the road dressed in a cotton dress. Holding her hand is a young boy with sandy blonde hair. He's wearing a cotton robe that looks similar to his sister's dress.

The young boy rubs tiredly at his light purple eyes. He speaks in Arabic to his older sister. "Sister, I'm sleepy. May we stop somewhere and rest?"

"We're almost there, Malik." His sister replies in Arabic. "It should be one of these houses."

The two walk a little further until the sister stops in front of a one-story house with a blue van setting in the driveway. She tugs her little brother up the driveway and to the door and then puts him behind her. She takes a breath before knocking on the door.

"Coming!" Kojiro calls from inside. Less than half a minute later he opens the door and looks at the raven haired girl in surprise. His heart skips a beat, for the girl looks a lot like his deceased wife, but then he sees that she has blue eyes. "Can I help you, miss?" He asks.

"I'm Isis Ishtar," She says, in English now. "Are you Kojiro Muto?"

"I am." Kojiro confirms. "You're Hathor's daughter, aren't you?"

Isis nods. "I am. I have come to ask you something that is really important. You see, there's a ritual of sorts in the Ishtar family that the oldest son will have the Pharaoh's Memories carved into his back when he turns ten. My younger brother is the next to go through this ritual, but I fear the effects it may have on him."

Kojiro listens patiently to his niece, waiting for her to ask her question while taking in the information she's giving him. The information confirms some things he always wondered about.

"Uncle, would you consider taking in my brother?" Isis asks. "I don't want for him to be forced to go through it. And… he deserves better. He deserves to be able to play in the sun with children his age."

"You're both welcome to stay." Kojiro tells her.

Isis declines. "I must return home. Our brother Rishid is covering for us in our absence so I need to get home before father does something regretable." She steps aside and looks down at Malik. "Malik, this is our Uncle Kojiro. You're going to be staying with him from now on." She says in Arabic. "He doesn't speak but little Arabic, so you'll have to speak in English."

Malik nods. "Okay…" He says, still speaking in Arabic. "But sister, why can't you stay too? I don't want you to go!"

"Easy brother. I will return one day, but for now I must return home." Isis says soothingly. "You'll be safe here." She bends down and hugs her brother goodbye and then she leaves.

Malik begins crying the moment she leaves the yard, knowing she really is leaving him behind. Kojiro immediately goes into 'comforting parent' mode and sits down on the porch beside Malik. He then uses a technique he used to use on Kiba when he'd get upset. "Why are you crying?" He asks.

Malik looks at him tearfully. "Sis left me. She doesn't love me anymore."

Kojiro's heart clenches painfully, his mind flickering back to a time in the pas briefly. "That's not true. Your sister loves you so much that she risked her life to bring you to a safe place. But she also loves your brother Rishid and has to go back to protect him too. I know you wouldn't want anything to happen to him."

Malik nods. "I know… I just miss her."

Kojiro pats the step beside him for Malik to sit down and the young boy does so and leans against Kojiro tiredly. The single father hugs the newest edition to the family. "She'll come back one day, just like she promised. A sister's promise is unbreakable." He looks down at Malik when the boy doesn't reply and smiles when he sees that he's asleep. Carefully, Kojiro picks the boy up and takes him inside so he can sleep better.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Tadaima!" Seto, Mokuba, Kiba, and Tama chorus. The four of them have been over at Ryou's house for the entire day.

"Okaeri!" Kojiro greets from the kitchen.

The four take off their shoes and then the boys hand their shoes to Tama for her to go put them in the closet. Then the boys head to the kitchen to see what their dad is going. Meanwhile, Tama walks through the living room to the closet and puts the shoes away. On her way to the kitchen she notices Malik sleeping on the couch.

'_Who's that?'_ Tama wonders, inching a little closer to get a better look.

"Tama! Come in the kitchen please!" Kojiro calls.

"Hai, otou-san!" Tama replies, taking her eyes off the kid on the couch. As soon as she gets in the kitchen she questions her dad. "Otou-san, who is that on the couch?"

"That's your cousin, Malik Ishtar." Kojiro explains. "He's going to be staying with us from now on, so there are some things I need to tell you all." He looks at them seriously. "Keep in mind that Malik has grown up in a completely different country and has lived underground his entire life. We're all going to have to be patient and explain things to him. There will be a lot of things that we use everyday that he has never even heard of."

"He lived underground?" Kiba asks. "That's horrible. How did he get here?"

"Your other cousin, Isis, brought him here but she had to return to Egypt." Kojiro explains. "Now what else was I going to say…? Oh yes. Don't crowd him and be careful with your hugging. I'm not sure what he's used to and he may shy away from contact. Also, he's used to speaking in Arabic so we'll have to help him with his English and eventually teach him Japanese."

"How old is he?" Seto asks.

"I'm not sure." Kojiro replies. "He's probably about your age." He gestures to Tama and Seto. "Now I'm going to go wake him up. You all stay in here."

Once Kojiro gets up. Tama takes his seat at the table and looks at her brothers. "Do you think he's nice?" She asks.

"We'll find out in a minute." Kiba says. "But we all have to remember what otou-san said. We have to be patient and help him out and not hug him randomly until he gets used to us."

Kojiro soon returns to the kitchen with a sleepy Malik by his side. He clears his throat. "Everyone, this is your cousin Malik. Malik, these are my kids. The girl is Tama and the boy who looks like her is Kiba. The boy with brown hair is Seto and the black haired boy is Mokuba."

"Hello." Malik says shyly.

Tama smiles. "Hi, Malik."

"Welcome to our home." Kiba says in Arabic. He doesn't know very much, but he does remember everything that their mom taught him when she was alive.

This makes Malik smile a little. "Thank you."

_**-F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S-**_

(1) I got grandpa's quote directly from the Manga. And strangely, I just about gave Yugi the puzzle at the right time. I think it took him seven years to complete it... Probably just me getting things confused again. Does anyone know for sure?

0-0-0-0

Shiro: I'm trying to make everything as accurate as possible, but I'm not sure how well I'm succeeding. Anyway, things are going to start getting interesting with Malik now with them.

**NEXT TIME**: Household appliances, another birthday, balance problems, and an English lesson.


	6. Chapter 6: Mokuba's Birthday

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh, however I do own all of the Original Characters except for three and they belong to my friend. (They'll be mentioned later)

_**-F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S-**_

_Chapter 6_

"So.. it's not people in the box?" Malik asks, looking at the TV.

Tama shakes her head. "Nope. Think of it like moving pictures with sound. It's all really complicated so it's hard to explain it very well."

Malik has been with them for two days now and has made "friends" with several kitchen appliances. The toaster has caught on fire, he tripped over the chord for the blender, the dishwasher door slammed shut on his hand, and numerous other things. The ten-year-old Egyptian has vowed to never again set foot in the kitchen. That won't last too long though, since that's where they eat.

Malik has been sleeping on the couch, not ready to accept Tama, Seto, and Mokuba's offers to sleep in their room.

They have also discovered one other thing about Malik and that is that he refuses to eat meat. He's a vegetarian.

"Hey guys, why don't the three of you take Malik outside for a while." Kiba suggests. "I have to help otou-san with something, otherwise I'd go too."

Seto glances out the window and then nods. "Good idea. We can teach Malik how to play tag." He says.

Mokuba runs to the back door excitedly. "The what are we waiting for?"

Within seconds all four of them are outside and Seto is explaining how to play tag to Malik. While the brunette is explaining, Tama catches sigh of Ryou and runs over to the whole in the fence.

"Ryou-kun! Come over and meet our cousin!" She calls.

Ryou looks up from his small garden and then sets aside the spade he's using. "I'm coming, Tama-chan."

"Hayaku! Hayaku!"

Ryou carefully puts the small marigold plant into the ground and then gently covers it with dirt. Tama watches his, almost mesmerized by how gentle he is. Ryou takes off his gloves and sets them beside the spade before joining Tama by the fence. The Muto girl grabs his hand and pulls him into the yard.

"Malik-kun! This is our friend Ryou!" Tama happily introduces. "Ryou-kun, this is our cousin Malik."

"Hello." Ryou greets.

"Hi…" Malik murmurs.

Mokuba jumps up on Seto's back in an attempt to break the awkward silence. "Ryou-kun! We were getting ready to play tag. Do you want to play with us?"

Ryou nods. "Sure. Sounds like fun."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**July 7, 1999**

"… happy birthday to you!" Kojiro, Kiba, Seto, Ryou, Tama, and Malik finish singing.

"Happy birthday to you," Tama continues. "You live in a zoo! You-"

-BONK!-

"Play nice." Kiba says, mentally berating himself for ever teaching his sister that song.

Tama pouts. "Aww, but Mokie doesn't mind. Do you, Mokie?"

"Hmm… let me think about it." Mokuba replies teasingly.

Tama can't resist getting up and hugging her little brother, using her newly discovered puppy-eyes. "I'll love you forever and ever!"

"Do you have no shame?" Seto mutters while Mokuba laughs and says, "You'll do that anyway, aneki!"

It's been nearly a month since Malik first arrived and the boy is almost used to the way things work, but he does get confused easily. He's no longer as shy around his family and Ryou, although he's still not used to all of the hugging.

Malik has found Ryou to be an interesting companion to talk to and usually turns to the albino for help when things start getting too weird.

So now it's Mokuba's sixth birthday and they're all ready for a day of fun and excitement. After eating a piece of the pure chocolate birthday cake, they all head to the living room so Mokuba can open his presents.

"Catch, Mokuba!" Kiba calls from across the room before tossing a package to his youngest sibling.

Mokuba catches it and immediately rips off the wrapping paper. Tama giggles when he unfolds a light blue apron and a cookbook falls out onto Seto's toe. After apologizing to Seto, Mokuba excitedly sets aside the apron and picks up the cookbook. "Cool…" He murmurs, thinking of all the things he can learn to make. "Thanks, Kiba-nii-chan!"

Kiba gives him two thumbs up and then proceeds to hand the gift from Ryou to Kojiro, who passes it to Malik, who passes it to Mokuba. He opens it up to find some homemade chocolate and a book with different dessert recipes.

"Yay!" Mokuba exclaims, falling off the couch and crawling past Seto to Ryou so he can hug the boy. "Thank you, Ryou!"

Besides cooking supplies and food, he also gets a notebook and sketchpad from Tama, the game 'Trouble' and a bunch of water balloons from Yugi and grandpa, Seto got him a 1000-piece puzzle and a _TY_ (1) cat, and Malik got him a black teddy bear and a blue bandana.

"And now for my present to you," Kojiro says. "I've decided that today we shall go ice skating!"

"Uh, dad?" Kiba says. "It's the middle of summer."

"I know that." Kojiro replies. "We're going to an enclosed ice skating rink, so grab your jackets and we'll get going!"

Malik looks at Tama in confusion. "Ice skating?" He asks.

Tama nods as she gets up. "Yeah. We wear special shoes and then go skating on ice. You'll see when we get there."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

At the skating rink all of them including Kojiro, get their ice skates on and carefully head out onto the ice.

"The key is to keep your balance." Tama tells Malik.

"Which is the reason why Tama is horrible at this." Seto teases. "She has no balance." He skates off when Tama reaches out as if to hit him, which makes Tama fall face first onto the ice.

Ryou, being the kind boy he is, helps her up. "Tama is right though. Balance is the biggest part of this, so you should do just fine." He helps Tama away from the wall so she doesn't fall over again. Slight fear overrides Malik's other feelings when he finds he's the only one not out on the ice yet.

Hesitantly, Malik puts one foot on the ice and tests it, as if afraid it will crack beneath him. After a moment he grabs a hold of the wall and puts his other foot on the ice. Again he waits for something bad to happen but when nothing does he lets go of the wall.

Across the room Tama laughs after crashing into the wall while Ryou patiently waits for her to stop so he can help her up.

"Hey Malik, come on out here and have some fun!" Kiba says as he skates past backwards. The show-off.

Malik takes a calming breath and then decides to throw caution to the wind and pushes himself away from the wall. Exhilaration overtakes his fear as he gets the hand of ice skating.

"Hey, Malik-kun!" Mokuba calls, skating across the rink to Malik. "Do you wanna race?"

"Sure." Malik replies.

"Yay! Do you know how to stop?" The younger asks.

Malik shakes his head 'no'.

"Well, there's several ways to stop. You can either slam into the wall like Tama or drift to a stop or skid to a stop by turning your foot- here, I'll show you." Mokuba demonstrates the third way to stop, nearly falling over in the process. "That one's harder to do though, so I don't use it much. I know what we can do! We'll race straight down the middle and the first one to tap the opposite wall wins. We can just veer off and not even have to stop right away."

Malik turns over the idea in his head, wondering if it will work. Deciding that Mokuba knows more about it than he does, he agrees.

Mokuba wins, even after both he and Malik crashed into Tama and Ryou (somehow).

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

There's just a month before school starts back up and Kojiro has already gotten everything together and has gotten Malik all the necessary shots he needs to be able to go to school. This will also be Mokuba's first true year of school and he'll be in First Grade.

By now they've dismantled the triple-bunk bed in the Dragon's Den and instead they have two normal bunk-beds. Malik and Seto share one while Tama and Mokuba share the other. Usually though, all of the blankets either wind up in a pile on the floor of their room or in the living room and all five (six with Ryou) kids sleep all curled up together.

Tonight, however, they're planning on sleeping in their beds instead of on the floor. Tama's currently reading one of her favorite books while lounging on her bed, Malik's writing something, Seto is off talking to Kiba, and Mokuba's in the bathroom brushing his teeth.

Malik's writing catches Tama's attention and so she marks her page in her book and walks across the room and climbs up into Malik's bed. "Whatcha writing?" She asks.

"Nothing. Just practicing." Malik replies.

Tama peers at the paper and then looks at her cousin in confusion. "Malik, those are pictures, not writing."

"This is how I was taught to write. Weren't you?"

Tama shakes her head negatively. "No." Something clicks in her mind. "Oh! Those are Egyptian hieroglyphics, aren't they?"

Malik nods. "That's right."

Tama bites her lip. "Umm… Malik? We don't use hieroglyphics anymore."

She picks up one of Seto's books and opens it up to the first chapter. "Malik, can you read this?"

Malik looks at it for a moment. "No… should I be able to?"

Tama frowns as she closes the book and puts it back. "Well, you need to. This is how we write here in England." She slips off the bed. "Come on. Lets go talk to otou-san about this."

The rest of the month is spent giving Malik a crash course in writing and reading in English. By the time school begins, Malik has a pretty good grasp on it. At least he can now read and write without getting confused.

_**-F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S-**_

Words:

Hayaku: hurry

aneki: big sister

nii-chan: brother

otou-san: dad

(1) Not really sure if everyone knows what I'm talking about with the TY cat. Remember the little beanie-critters with the pretty red and white tags with 'TY' on them. Yup, that's what I'm talking about. I still collect those. They're too cute! (huggles)

0-0-0-0

Shiro: It's been so long since I last went ice skating... actually, the last time was my first time. Boy did I have fun...

Bast: Now's not the time for reminiscing, hikari.

Shiro: Right, sorry. Anyway, next chapter they get to go to school and they encounter some problems there. Is it just me, or do I torture Malik far too much in my stories? That poor boy...

Bast: Apparently that's how you show you care.

Shiro: Maybe... hey you know what I just realized? I completely forgot about Kiba's birthday! It's on June 12 and I completely forgot about it! I feel so bad now! I should go apologize... (goes off to apologize)

**NEXT TIME**: School problems, comforting, fighting, and the principal's office.


	7. Chapter 7: School Troubles

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh, however I do own all of the Original Characters except for three and they belong to my friend. (They'll be mentioned later)

_**-F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S-**_

_Chapter 7_

"What do you mean, 'we're not in the same class'!" Tama exclaims. "We need to be in the same class as each other!"

Seto lays a hand on Tama's shoulder. "Nee-chan, calm down. Ryou-kun is going to be in the same class as Malik and you know he'll help him. There's nothing we can do about it."

Tama bows her head in defeat. "I know. I just have a bad feeling is all. Something's telling me that us being separated won't be a good thing at all."

"We'll be fine, Tama-chan." Malik says. He's picked up a little Japanese during the last few months and has begun using it. Sometimes he gets English and Japanese words a little mixed up, but it's easily fixable.

"If you say so…" Tama says, unconvinced.

"See you at lunch and recess." Seto says. He then steers Tama off to their classroom before she can say anything else.

Ryou and Malik wave 'bye' and then the two of them go to their classroom.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Malik shifts uncomfortably, feeling many looks and several glares cast in his direction. He twists his fingers together nervously and looks down at the desk, causing his sandy-blonde bangs to cover his eyes.

A note lands on his desk softly and he looks at it for a moment before recognizing Ryou's tidy handwriting. After making sure the teacher is busy and not looking in his direction, he opens the note and reads it.

_Malik-kun,_

_Relax. Don't let the other kids bother you._

_-Ryou_

Malik smiles and scrawls a quick 'thanks' in his unique handwriting and then tosses the note back to Ryou. Then he starts paying attention to the teacher again, only to find himself even more confused than earlier.

As the classes stretch on, Malik grows more and more confused with the new material. And then paper balls and things begin hitting him and he starts getting more stressed out. By the time lunch comes he's a nervous wreck and jumping at every little movement. Right before they leave he asks to go to the bathroom. He doesn't show up for lunch.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Where is he?" Tama asks for the tenth time, looking around the lunch room. "Lunch is almost over and Malik-kun hasn't even showed up."

"It doesn't make sense that he's been in there for this long." Seto says worriedly. "Maybe one of us should go check on him."

"I hope he's okay…" Ryou murmurs. "The other kids were being mean to him."

Tama pushes her tray aside. "I told you that something bad would happen! Now we can't even leave the lunch room to go find him!"

Seto lays a hand on Tama's shoulder, a silent way to tell her to calm down. "We'll need a distraction. Tama and I can handle that. Ryou, there's only five minutes left in lunch. That should be enough time for you to find Malik and rejoin the crowd to go outside for recess."

"Don't get in trouble." Ryou tells them.

Tama winks at Ryou. "Don't worry, Ry-kun. We're pretty good at stuff like this. Remember last month's food fight at Chuck E. Cheese?"

Ryou looks at them incredulously. "The one you two and Mokuba nearly got grounded for?"

"No, that one was for fun. The other one was to help Kiba execute his genious plan." Tama replies.

"Just wait for our signal and then go." Seto says. "Don't get caught."

Ryou nods. "Alright…"

Tama snaps into action immediately and jumps up onto the table and screams, "RAT!"

The lunch room erupts into pandemonium after a millisecond of silence. In the chaos of screams, yelling, and movement, Ryou slips out of the lunch room unnoticed.

Tama and Seto discreetly high-five, happy that their plan has succeeded.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Ryou quietly opens the bathroom door and looks inside to see if Malik's there. He spots the blonde Egyptian curled up in a corner crying. Ryou slips into the room and goes over to his friend. "Malik?" He asks. "Malik-kun, are you okay?"

"…alone." Malik mumbles.

"What?"

"Leave me alone!" Malik snaps.

Ryou recoils from his friend, startled by the amount of anger in his voice. "Doshite?" (1)

"I'm worthless… nobody likes me, the teacher ignores me, and I don't understand anything! I can't…! I'm just… so confused…" He finishes softly, blinking back tears.

Ryou sits down beside Malik and hugs him. "You're not worthless and you do have someone who likes you. More than one, actually. There's me and Tama-chan and Seto-kun and Mokuba-kun and Kiba-san and Kojiro-san."

The two are silent for a moment.

"Thank you…" Malik murmurs.

"Ready to go join Tama-chan and Seto-kun outside?" Ryou asks.

Malik nods and wipes away his tears. "Okay."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"_Never _in all my years of teaching have two young students gotten into a fight on the first day of school! And two nine-years-olds at that!" Mrs. June says harshly, pulling Tama and Seto down the hall.

Tama and Seto each have a bruise forming on one of their cheeks and Tama's elbow has a scrape on it.

"They deserve it." Tama growls. "They hurt Malik-kun and _nobody _hurts family."

"That's no excuse!" Mrs. June says, ushering them into the office. "Fighting, no matter the reason or excuse, will not be tolerated at this school. Your father will be called in and told what you've done."

Tama and Seto tune her out, knowing their dad won't be too angry with them especially once they explain what happened. They also know, however, that there will be a punishment.

"You two sit here quietly and think about what you've done." Mrs. June says. She waits until the two of them sit down before explaining the situation to the secretary. Then she leaves to get back to her class.

Five minutes later a sulking Kiba is led into the office by one of his teachers.

The secretary, Ms. Bird, looks at him in shock. "Mr. Muto, I'm appalled! I never expected to see you in here because you got in trouble! First your younger siblings and now you, honestly…!" (2)

Kiba glances at Tama and Seto. "Defense?" He questions.

Seto nods. "Always."

"Have a seat, Kiba." Kiba's teacher says sternly. "I take it that your father is already on the way. Good." She quickly leaves the room, muttering about troublemaking students.

Kiba sits down beside his siblings and pulls out a deck of cards. "War, anyone?"

"Deal me in." Tama says immediately.

"Same here." Seto says.

Kiba expertly deals out the cards. "Ace high, jokers skip, two cards face down for tie, least cards loses, loser cleans dishes. Got it?"

"Gotcha." Seto and Tama reply.

The three play for the next fifteen minutes until Kojiro arrives. Kiba loses.

"What's this I hear about you three getting into fights?" Their dad asks, sitting down beside Kiba.

Kiba launches into an explanation immediately. "There were some kids saying mean stuff about Malik and I asked them to stop but they turned on me and started pushing me around. I tripped one of them by err… accident and they took that as an invitation to fight."

Kojiro nods. "Fine. What about you two?" He asks Seto and Tama.

"They shoved Malik-kun and called him names!" Tama exclaims angrily.

"We asked them to stop but they kept on doing it and then Tama lost her temper." Seto glances at his sister, silently apologizing. "I told Ryou-kun to get Malik-kun away from there and then I helped Tama." He and Tama both bow their heads and say, "Gomen ne."

Kojiro sighs. "I should have expected something like this to happen…" He stands up and walks over to Ms. Bird. "May I make a request?"

Ms. Bird nods. "You may."

"Tama and Seto, along with Ryou Bakura and Malik Ishtar, will have their recess inside for the next two weeks. I would also like for them to be placed in the same class. If I'm correct in my assumption, Tama got a little afraid when she found out they weren't in the same class and so she's been panicky all day."

Tama shifts in her chair.

Kojiro looks at the three kids. "Don't think I'm going to let you off easy. No sleepovers on school nights for the next two weeks and you will sleep in your own beds. You will all be given additional chores to do for the next week. Understood?"

"Hai, otou-san." They all say.

"I'll see you all at home. No more fighting." Kojiro says. "Good day to you, Ms. Bird."

Seto, Kiba, and Tama watch as he leaves and then they turn their attention to the secretary. Ms. Bird smiles.

"Would any of you like a sucker?" She asks kindly.

Tama's eyes light up. "Ooo! I would!"

Ms. Bird chuckles and tosses a Dum Dum to the fifth grader. "Anyone else?"

Seto and Kiba exchange glances and then they both nod. "Sure."

Soon all four of them have their own sucker. Fifteen minutes later the middle school's bell rings, signaling the end of a class.

"Now, I don't want to see any of you in here for trouble again." Ms. Bird says. "Now go on to your classes."

They listen to her, not wanting to get in any more trouble.

_**-F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S-**_

(1) Doshite: Why?

(2) Mrs. Bird met Kiba back on orientation, that's how she knows him.

**Q&A**

Someone asked how old they all are now and I decided to post this here in case anyone else was wondering. The easiest way to keep track of how old they are is by looking at what year it is. At this moment it's around the end of August 1999 in this chapter which means Kiba is 12, Tama, Yugi, Damian, Anzu, and Malik are 9, Seto and Ryou are 8, and Mokuba is 6.

0-0-0-0

Shiro: This chapter is brought to you by Dum Dums, one of the most awesome kinds of suckers in the world! Not really, but they are good.

Bast: Ignore hikari. She thinks that snails from outer space will one day rule the world.

Shiro: They're not just snails! They're evil alien spork-weiling, pudding-loving, nuclear mutant radio active snails of terror from outer space that want to take over the world!

Kyle: (to Damian) Is it just me or does the name get longer every time?

Damian: It's not just you.

Kyle: Okay, as long as I'm not losing my mind.

NEXT CHAPTER: Grounded, more fights, and venting.


	8. Chapter 8: Problems in Paradise

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh, however I do own all of the Original Characters except for three and they belong to my friend. (They'll be mentioned later)

_**-F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S-**_

_Chapter 8_

**September 4, 1999 **(The weekend after Ryou's birthday)

"Ryou-kun, are you sure you don't want to spend the night?" Tama asks.

Ryou hesitates for a moment as he reaches for his coat. "I don't know… my dad's suppose to be coming home today. He promised."

"But otou-san has been checking all day and he hasn't seen any cards pull up in your driveway." Tama says. "Please stay, Ryou-kun. We haven't fully celebrated."

Ryou lets his hand fall to his side. "You've already done enough. The surprise party and all of the wonderful gifts were more than enough."

"Don't be silly! You deserve a special day just for you!" Tama exclaims. "And what better way to finish celebrating than to sleepover here and watch silly movies with us all night!"

Ryou caves in. "Alright…"

"Yay!" Tama cheers. "Lets go get everything set up and then you can pick what movie's to watch!"

Ryou allows himself to be pulled to the living room, ignoring the more rational side of his mind.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Ryou heads home the next day after eating brunch with his friends. He has declined their offers of helping him carry home his presents, and regrets it once he gets to the backdoor to his house and finds that he'll have to set some things down so he can get out the key and unlock it and then open it. Just as he's getting ready to do so, the door slides open.

Yaten Bakura stands there with a worried look on his face. When he sees that it's his son he sighs in relief and stands back to let Ryou in. Ryou silently enters, making sure to slip off his shoes at the door and put on the blue slippers Tama gave him.

"Ryou, where have you been? Do you have any idea how worried I've been?" Mr. Bakura demands.

"I was over at a friends' house…" Ryou softly says. "They threw me a surprise party and invited me to spend the night."

"You knew I was coming come for your birthday." Mr. Bakura says. "Why didn't you leave a note to tell me where you were? What if I thought you'd been kidnapped and called the police?"

"I'm sorry…" Ryou whispers, lowering his gaze to the floor.

"Room, now." Mr. Bakura says. "You're grounded until further notice."

"Yes, father." Ryou murmurs, obediently going straight to his room.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Otou-san, otou-san, otou-san!" Tama yells as she runs through the house in search of her dad. She finds him in his room sitting at his small desk.

Kojiro sets aside the book he was reading and turns in his chair to look at Tama. "What's wrong?"

"Otou-san, Ryou-kun's dad grounded him for sleeping over here on his birthday." She says sadly. "And it's all my fault! I begged him to spend the night when he wanted to go home!" Tears spring up in her eyes. "I didn't mean to get Ryou-kun in trouble, otou-san. I just wanted him to have fun like we always have for birthday parties! It's not fair… it was his birthday…"

Kojiro stands up and walks across the room t hug his daughter. "Don't worry, Tama. I'll go explain to Mr. Bakura. I've been wanting to meet him anyway. You go on outside with the others. I thought you all were going to play Red Light, Green Light."

Tama nods. "Yeah, but we wanted Ryou-kun to play too."

"I'll see what I can do. For now, you go play with the others and have fun." Kojiro says as he stands back up.

"Okay, otou-san." Tama replies. She dries her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt and then she heads to the backyard to play with the boys.

Kojiro sighs and runs a hand through his hair, something he does whenever he's frustrated or upset about something. He grabs his coat off of the doorknob and then sets off to the house next door.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Kojiro has no luck with talking to Mr. Bakura, in fact he feels as if he's made things worse by trying to talk to the other father. Then there's the phone call from the school that he's received…

The front door loudly slams shut and Mokuba, Malik, Seto, Tama, and Kiba look up from the board game they've just pulled out. (They got tired of Red Light, Green Light.)

"Tama, Kiba, and Seto, come in this hall now!" Kojiro yells.

The three exchange startled looks and then scramble to their feet and quickly go to the hall where their dad is standing.

"Otou-san? Daijoubu desu-ka?" (1) Tama asks.

Kojiro sighs heavily and runs a hand through his hair for the second time that day. "I'm fine. I did just get an interesting phone call from the main office secretary. It turns out that the three of you have gotten into more fights and _someone _nearly put someone in the hospital."

"Oops…" Kiba mutters, mentally berating himself for not being more careful.

Kojiro gives Kiba a look. "The teachers are tired of having to break up these fights, so before things get too out of hand, and since you'll have plenty of free time, I've decided to teach you all a few things. We'll start out with basic defense and go from there. Where's Malik and Mokuba at?"

"In the living room setting up a game." Seto says.

"Put up the game and meet me in the backyard. Tama, you and Mokuba need to tie back your hair so it doesn't get in the way. Seto and Kiba, you two can come with me and we'll get started on exercises."

The kids do as their dad says. Kiba and Seto go with him to the backyard while Tama goes to tell Malik and Mokuba and get the board game put up. Malik volunteers to tie back their hair and braids Mokuba's first. Once the board game is put up and Malik has braided both Mokuba and Tama's hair they head out to the backyard and join the others in doing warm-up exercises.

For the rest of the day, taking a long break for lunch, Kojiro teaches them basic defense and how to fight properly so they don't hurt themselves.

"We'll do this again tomorrow for a while and then I'll get you all started on acting." Kojiro says as they all head inside.

"Acting?" Mokuba asks.

"Yes, acting. Believe it or not, it is very useful. To be able to mask your expressions so your opponent won't know what you're thinking, to be able to hold back your anger so it doesn't blind you in a fight; it's all very important." Kojiro smiles. "But anyway, training time is over. Who wants pizza?"

"Me!" All of the kids shout.

"Alright! Name your toppings."

"Meat-lovers!" Tama and Kiba immediately yell, shortly followed by Mokuba and Seto.

"What about you, Malik?" Kojiro asks. "Should I get us 'Veggie lovers'?" (2)

Malik smiles. "Okay."

"Alright! One meat-lovers and one 'veggie lovers'!" Kojiro enthusiastically says. "I'll order, Tama gets the trays, Kiba gets the paper plates, Mokuba gets the paper cups, Malik chooses the drink, and Seto chooses the movie!"

"Who'll get the napkins?" Mokuba asks, knowing they'll need them for something or another.

"Who wants to volunteer?" Kojiro asks, almost surprised when none of them do so. Grinning, he raises his hand. "Me then."

Cheerfully, the family gathers up everything they'll need for pizza and Kojiro makes a call to Pizza Hut. Soon the pizza arrives and they settle down in the living room to watch Jumanji. The movie is paused once for them to clean up and get ready for bed. After dragging blankets and pillows out onto the living room floor, they un-pause the movie. Everyone except for Kojiro falls asleep before the end of the movie and at some point or another they moved closer to one another so now all the kids are cuddled up together.

Kohiro finds it utterly adorable and heart-warming. He sits and watches them for a few minutes while the video rewinds, a smile gracing his face as Malik snuggles deeper into the blankets and moves closer to Tama while Mokuba rolls over so he's right next to Seto and closer to Kiba, who's on the other side of Seto.

The VCR (3) clicks, signaling the video has rewound all the way and Kojiro gets up to eject the video and turn off the VCR. After putting the video back in it's box and then on the shelf, he heads toward his bedroom. He glances at his children to make sure everything's alright and then turns out the light.

_**-F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S-**_

(1) Daijoubu desu-ka: Are you alright?

(2) I have no idea if this is an actual pizza or not. It just sounds like something Malik would like with him being a vegitarian.

(3) Ah, the days of just having the VCR... I wonder what happened to ours. I think we may still have it but it's just... lost in the abyss of our basement. No, seriously, there's a sea of boxes down there and it's about impossible to find anything. I'd rather not find it, but it would be nice to watch some of the old videos we have. (.(Like Dragon Heart.).) And since I've mentioned the VCR I may now include the old Nintendo and Sega Genesis game systems. Now those I wouldn't mind digging up from the abyss of our basement. I miss playing Super Mario 3 and the X-men game we had. Okay, no more rambling!

0-0-0-0

Damian: (reads the above message) You play video games, Shiro?

Shiro: Of course I do! What's wrong, you think a girl can't play video games?

Damian: Of course not! I'm sure you're very good at them too.

Keitaro: (mutters) Suck up...

Shiro: Hush, you're just angry because I kicked your butt in the ATV offroad fury game along with the JetX2O game, the Inuyasha feudal combat game, _and _the Yu Yu Hakusho dark tournament game.

Keitaro: ... No comment.

Damian: (snickering)

Bast: (rolls her eyes)

Kitsune: I'm surrounded by losers... No wonder none of you can appreciate a good book. You're too busy playing violent video games and spending hours on the computer.

Shiro: Aww... but it's fun wrecking into things and kicking Kei-kun's butt. As for the computer, I finally found some Yugioh episodes in Japanese with subtitles! Yay! It's so much better than the dub. Especially Yami Malik's voice.

Bast: You only watched one episode.

Shiro: So? I still think it's better! And Ryou's still the most adorable of them all! (squeals)

Bast: Great... she's gone into 'rabid Ryou-fangirl mode'. Again.

Shiro: But he's so cute!

Bast: And then you see Malik and can't decide which one's cuter.

Shiro: I do not! Okay, maybe I do... but I have finally come to a solution!

Bast: And that would be...?

Shiro: Ryou's the most cutest, sweet boy in the entire show and I wanna hug him!

Bast: ...

Shiro: What?

Bast: 'Most cutest'? Time to get you some food, omote.

Shiro: Do I have to?

Bast: Well, when you start calling Ryou the 'most cutest' then I know it's time to get you food. Now stop typing and get downstairs and eat!

Shiro: So cruel...

Bast: I give up... (disappears)

Shiro: (blinks) Where'd she g-

Bast: (takes over Shiro's body) Ha ha! I've finally learned how to do that properly. Now to get some food...

NEXT CHAPTER: A visit, sneaking about, and a sleepover.


	9. Chapter 9: A Surprise Visit

School starts today... which is why I'm on here early in the morning. Stupid school. Stupid brain. Just watch me forget something. Erg...

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh, however I do own all of the Original Characters except for three and they belong to my friend. (They'll be mentioned later)

_**-F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S-**_

_Chapter 9_

**October 30, 1999** (Weekend following Seto's birthday)

"Happy Birthday, Seto!" Malik, Tama, Kiba, Mokuba, and Kojiro shout when the brunette finally comes downstairs.

"You got a card from Damian-kun!" Tama says, sliding off of the counter and rushing over to her brother. "It said to open it at nine o'clock and it's ten after nine. I hope that won't affect anything badly."

Seto takes the envelope and opens it and pulls out the card. On the front is a picture of puppy-Damian floating because of numerous helium balloons he's holding. Above the balloons in bright blue is the word, "Surprise" in all capital letters and with several exclamation points after it.

Seto opens the card and looks in surprise at the words written. He hands it to Tama asking, "Am I reading this correctly?"

Tama takes the card and reads the words aloud. _"'Now open the door, it's cold out here!'"_

Everyone takes a minute to comprehend what the card says and then Tama and Mokuba race to the front door with Seto right behind them. Mokuba throws open the front door.

"Damian!" A blur of red, black, and gold rushes past Mokuba to tackle-glomp the purple haired boy standing at the door.

"Ryuu-no-otaku!" (1) Damian happily exclaims, catching Tama with a hug before she falls over. "Konnichiwa!" (2) He gives her a kiss on the cheek in joy.

Kojiro and Kiba soon join the group at the door while Malik shyly peers around the corner.

Damian extracts himself from Tama's hug and grins at his old friends. "Ohayo, minna-san." (3)

"English please, Damian-kun." Kojiro says.

"Hello to you too." Damian says jokingly, completely relaxed around his best friends' dad. "Happy birthday, Seto-kun." He says to the brunette before tossing a poorly wrapped gift to him. "Sorry about being late."

"It's fine. We're celebrating today." Kojiro says, chuckling when Tama sneaks up on Damian from behind and jumps on his back. "Come on in, if you can walk with the monkey on your back."

Tama sticks her tongue out at her dad. "I'm not heavy! And I'm not a monkey!" She exclaims.

Damian makes a comment on how Tama looks like a monkey as he walks inside the house. Malik ducks around the corner as soon as the boy steps into the house while Tama half-heartedly hits him on the shoulder.

Meanwhile, Seto unwraps his present from Damian to find a Blue-Eyes White Dragon plushy. His eyes widen for a moment and then he hugs the plushy to his chest.

"What are you doing here anyway, Damian-kun?" Mokuba asks, giving up on trying to get Tama off of the purple haired boy's back.

"Isn't it obvious?" Damian asks. "I'm here to wish Seto-kun a happy birthday by tying myself up in ribbons and singing to him all day long!"

The others sweat drop.

"I'm just joking." Damian tells them. "I'm here to wish Seto a happy birthday and hang out for the day and night. As for how I got here… I flew!"

Kiba raises an eyebrow. "Ah, yes. Obviously. Sprouted wings and flew, did you?"

"Nah, I took the less fun path and rode in a plane." Damian replies. "You see, me and my otou-san are moving to America."

Tama falls off of Damian's back in surprise. "What?" She exclaims. "But why?"

Damian shrugs. "Dunno. All I know is that I'm moving to Virginia to a little town that barely has anything." He claps his hands together. "So what do you say we get this party started?"

"Party animal." Tama teases.

"Enough with the animal jokes!" Seto exclaims before Damian has a chance to reply to that.

At this time Malik peeks around the corner and Damian catches sight of him. His mint green eyes light up.

"Who's the cutie?" He asks.

"He's our cousin, Malik Ishtar." Mokuba says. "He's really shy."

"No teasing then?" Damian asks, slightly put out. "Darn. What about your new friend here? The white-haired one."

"Ryou-kun has been grounded for a while." Seto says. "You won't be able to meet him."

"And you wouldn't tease him anyway!" Tama says defensively. "I wouldn't let you!"

There's an almost awkward silence for a moment while everyone looks a little surprised by Tama's display of possessiveness. Kojiro decides to end the silence by calling Malik in.

"Malik, come on over here." Kojiro calls. "He may not look it, but Damian's harmless."

Malik hesitantly walks into the hallway and over to the group. He stands partly behind Kojiro's legs in an effort to hide himself. "Hello…" He says shyly.

Damian almost squeals, but controls himself so he doesn't scare the blonde Egyptian away. Instead he bows politely. "It's nice to meet you." Then he goes back to his normal happy-go-lucky self. "So who's ready to have some fun? I believe we have a birthday to celebrate!"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Later that night Tama, Seto, Damian, Mokuba, Malik, and Kiba sneak over to the Bakura's yard. Damian has come up with a plan to get Ryou out of the house without his dad noticing. The original plan involved duct tape, 'Ding-dong-ditch', glitter, a flashlight, and a rubber chicken. After some major re-planning, in which all but the rubber chicken and the flashlight are cut out, they come up with a much better plan.

"Be careful, Tama!" Mokuba whispers up to his sister.

Tama quickly glances down before climbing up onto the porch roof on the side of the house. She takes a moment to adjust to the sloe and then gives the boys two thumbs up. Then she crawls over to Ryou's window and taps on the glass.

Inside, Ryou is sitting at his desk working on homework. He looks up when he hears the tapping and then hurries over to the window. He opens it and grabs Tama's hands so she doesn't fall backwards.

"Tama-chan, what are you doing here?" He asks. "My dad won't be happy if he finds you over here."

"We just wanted you to meet Damian-kun is all." Tama says. "We've been really careful, so don't worry." She glances behind her and then looks back at Ryou. "Can the others come up?"

Ryou hesitates. "I don't think this is a good idea, Tama-chan."

"Please, Ryou-kun?" She pleads. "I really want you to meet Damian-kun."

Like always when it comes to Tama and her begging, Ryou gives in. "Alright… but tell them they need to be really quiet! I don't want anyone to get in trouble."

Tama quickly nods. "Don't worry, Ry-kun. They know." While Ryou looks at her in surprise at his new nickname, Tama gestures for the others to come up and then turns back to Ryou. "Ry-kun, can we come in?" She asks.

"Uh huh." Ryou murmurs, moving over so Tama can crawl through the window.

Soon everyone is in Ryou's room and introductions are quietly being made.

"Ryou-kun, this is Damian-kun." Mokuba says.

Damian smiles instead of grinning for once. "So this is your new friend I've heard so much about. Tama, he's even cuter than you said!"

"No hugging." Kiba says firmly, grabbing the back of Damian's shirt. "And be quiet. Our goal here is to _not _get caught."

"But-"

"Shh!" Ryou whispers suddenly. "My dad's coming! You guys have to get out of here!"

"How? We can't make it out the window in time!" Seto says.

"Hide!" Kiba hisses, jerking open Ryou's closet. Luckily, nothing falls out and makes a racket. Kiba quickly shoves Damian in first and then jumps in himself. Discovering more room than he original thought, he pulls Seto in too and then closes the door.

Meanwhile, Mokuba crawls under Ryou's bed and Tama hides beneath Ryou's blankets. Ryou quickly goes back to his desk and picks up a pencil.

The door opens and Mr. Bakura steps into the room. "Ryou… I thought I heard voices."

"I was talking to myself." Ryou lies. "I'm sorry for disturbing you."

Mr. Bakura frowns and looks around the room. "Go to bed, Ryou. It's getting late."

"Yes, father." Ryou replies.

After looking around for a final time, Mr. Bakura leaves the room and goes back downstairs. Once the kids are sure he's gone they crawl out of their hiding places.

"That was too close." Kiba mutters. "Tama, Damian and Ryou have met so we're going now." He says seriously, dropping the suffixes for the first time. "I'm sure there will be other times where we'll all be able to play together, but that time is not tonight. Tama, you go first. Then Seto, then Damian, then Malik, and then Mokuba. No 'but's'."

"Sweet dreams, Ry-kun." Tama says, hugging the white haired boy goodnight before climbing out the window. Right behind her is Seto, who also wishes Ryou goodnight before going out the window.

Damian bows. "It was nice meeting you. I wish we could have talked more so I could find out what crazy things Tama has done. She never tells me."

"Because 'nee-chan is smarter than that." Mokuba says.

Damian inches toward the window when Kiba gives him a 'hurry-up-or-I'll-push-you-out-the-window' look. "So… bye!" He quickly jumps out the window.

"Goodnight, Ryou-kun." Malik says. Then he crawls out the window.

Mokuba bounces over to Ryou and hugs him tightly. "Goodnight, Ryou-kun. Don't let the bed-bugs bite!" He laughs before leaving through the window as well.

"I'm sure you don't need to hear it for the sixth time, but… sweet dreams, Ryou-kun." Kiba says before he too crawls out the window.

"Oyasumi nasai, minna-san." (4) Ryou murmurs.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Ry-kun's not grounded anymore!" Tama happily shouts. She has been bouncing around the house for the entire morning while singing, giggling, and randomly shouting, "Ry-kun's not grounded anymore!".

To say she's happy would be an understatement.

"Tama, we heard you the first ten billion times." Kiba says. "Please, _urusai_!" (5)

"I can't help it, aniki." Tama says, hopping up onto a counter in the kitchen. "Ry-kun invited us all over for a sleepover tonight! We're going to have so much fun!"

Kiba puts away the last of the cups that were in the dishwasher.

"Are you going to come too?" Tama asks eagerly.

"Otou-san needs my help with some stuff." Kiba replies. "Maybe next time, imoutou."

"Oh… okay." She seems rather disappointed by her older brother's reply. "I'm going to go see if Seto, Mokuba, and Malik-kun are ready to go." Tama hops off the counter and runs off to find her two younger brothers and older cousin.

Kiba sighs heavily and leans against a different counter. '_I feel bad now… we don't spend too much time together anymore apart from dad's lessons. Maybe dad can drive us out somewhere and we can hang out for the day. I'll do the same for Malik, Mokuba, and Seto.'_ His lips curve upward into a soft smile._ 'I think they'd like that.'_

With that thought in mind, Kiba goes off to find his dad.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Mr. Bakura watches his son play with the neighbor children, his gaze lingering on the single girl of the group. His frown deepens with each of Tama's actions. From what he has seen and gathered, Tama is altogether too loud, clumsy, tom-boyish, and somewhat rash.

He has no problems at all with her brothers and cousin. Just Tama.

He thinks of his beautiful wife and daughter and how graceful, quiet, and polite they were. In his eyes they were perfectly feminine.

For now there's nothing he can do about his son's friend and no reason to overreact. He believes it's just a matter of time before the two drift apart from one another, but anyone else can easily see that they'll be friends for a long time.

_**-F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S-**_

(1) _Ryuu-no-otaku_; I believe it translates to dragon fanatic or fanatic of dragons.

(2) _Konnichiwa_; I hope everyone knows this one... It's 'Hello'.

(3) _Ohayo, minna-san_; 'Good morning, everyone.'

(4) _Oyasumi nasai, minna-san_; 'Good night, everyone.'

(5) _Urusai_; 'Shut up.'

0-0-0-0

Shiro: Wow, lots of Japanese words this time. I hope they're all correct... Anyway, Damian had better be happy that he got some time in here.

Damian: I am! Very happy! (glomps Shiro) Thank you!

Shiro: Yeah, yeah. I had to put you back in there sometime. Although why on Seto's birthday, I don't remember... probably just one of those random idea's that popped into my head. Now get off.

Damian: (grins) No way! I'm gonna hug you forever and ever!

Shiro: BAST! HELP ME!

NEXT TIME: Moving, a birthday, strange items, and a vision.


	10. Chapter 10: Chaotic Christmas

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh, however I do own all of the Original Characters except for three and they belong to my friend. (They'll be mentioned later)

_**-F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S-**_

_Chapter 10_

**December 4, 1999**

"Tama-chan, where are you going?" Malik asks, spotting the tri-color haired girl opening the backdoor with her usual sleepover bag on her shoulder.

Tama pauses with one hand on the doorknob as she turns to face her cousin. "Ryou-kun invited me to sleepover tonight. We're going to finish up the history project thing together and he's going to help me with English."

"Oh." Disappointment flickers through Malik's lilac eyes. "Well… have fun."

"I will." Tama says as she opens the door. "By the way, Ryou-kun said that next time he'll pair up with you and that you'll get to sleepover." She giggles when Malik visibly brightens. "Tell the others where I'm at, please."

"I will." Malik promises.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Ryou-kun, stop it! Stop!" Tama giggles as Ryou hits her with a pillow several times. "Have mercy!"

"Never!" Ryou exclaims, grabbing a second pillow.

Tama shrieks loudly in reply and falls off the couch, pulling Ryou with her. The two land heavily on the floor and begin giggling. They lay there for a while, just goofing off, until Tama yawns.

"Sleepy?" Ryou teases.

"Hey, it's eleven o'clock." Tama says defensively, after glancing at the clock on the wall. "I have a right to be sleepy." She yawns again and lays her head on Ryou's chest. "…you make a good pillow."

"Tama…" Ryou sighs. "The floor isn't very comfortable. The couch isn't very far."

"Will you sleep on it with me?" Tama asks pleadingly. "Please, Ryou-kun."

"Okay, but just this once." Ryou agrees. He sits up, which forces Tama to sit up as well. Then the two just crawl up onto the couch and Tama wraps her arms around Ryou in a hug. Almost shyly, Ryou wraps his arms around Tama. The two fall asleep this way.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Early the next morning Tama is jerked awake when Mr. Bakura discovers her and Ryou cuddled up together on the couch. The sudden movement causes Ryou to abruptly awaken as well.

"Dad, wha-"

"I don't want to hear a word out of you!" Mr. Bakura yells. "I should have seen this coming." He rants as he pulls Tama roughly off the couch. "I'll make sure you two never see one another again!" He continues.

"Dad, stop it!" Ryou screams. "Leave her alone!"

"Don't defend the little brat, Ryou!" Mr. Bakura says fiercely, determinedly dragging Tama to the door. With a growl he jerks it open and throws Tama out into the snow. "Stay out of my house!"

Ryou is off of the couch at this point and is running toward the door. "TA-"

A loud smack echoes through the house as Mr. Bakura hits his son. Everything freezes and both of them stand in shock.

Mr. Bakura shakily reaches for his son. "Ryou, I-"

Ryou flinches. "Leave me alone!" He screams, before running past his father and up to his room where he slams the door shut. _'I hate him!'_ He screams in his mind. _'Dad… why did you do that? Why?'_

Downstairs, Mr. Bakura still hasn't moved as he's trying to come to terms with what happened. _'It all comes back to that girl. It's all her fault!'_ He decides._ 'She's a horrible influence on Ryou. I need to get him away from her. He'll thank me someday.'_

With that decision firmly in his mind, Mr. Bakura goes to his room to begin packing some things he'll need. He and Ryou will stay with his sister-in-law until he can sell the house and get a new one.

The decision may haunt him for the rest of his life.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Kojiro paces worriedly in the living room. Just a half hour ago he saw Yaten Bakura loading up his car and getting Ryou into it and driving off. Tama still hasn't come home.

Seto and Kiba are out at the skating rink for their day out and Mokuba has the symptoms of an on-coming cold which leaves just Malik and Kojiro as the ones who can go check on her.

Malik looks just as worried as his uncle does. He has some homework laid out in front of him and a pencil in on hand, but he's staring out the window that the path through the fence can be seen through. Every now and then he'll glance down at the papers and tap his pencil against one of them.

Finally he stands up, unable to take it any more. "Uncle, I'm going to go find Tama."

Kojiro stops his pacing and nods. "Do you want me to go with you?"

Malik politely declines and then heads to the back door where he wraps his scarf around his neck and then puts on his coat and boots. He pulls a pair of gloves out of his pocket and puts only one on so he can open the door easily. Once the door is open he puts the other glove on before going outside.

As he walks toward the opening in the fence, snowflakes begin to fall. Malik resists sticking his tongue out to catch the snowflakes, since finding Tama is much more important.

"Tama-chan?" He calls, stepping through the hole in the fence. "Tama-chan, are you out here?" Malik frowns when he receives no reply and his feelings of worry intensify. He looks around the Bakura's backyard in search of his cousin's familiar bright hair. He finally spots her curled up in a ball a few feet from the backdoor.

"Tama!" Malik shouts, running the best he can through the foot-deep snow. Eventually he makes it over to her and kneels down beside her. "Tama-chan, are you alright?"

Tama doesn't move.

Malik taps her on the shoulder. "Tama-chan?" It's at this time that he notices her lips are slightly blue in color and that she's not wearing a coat. "Oh no! Tama, get up! You need to go inside!" When she doesn't move or show any signs of hearing him, Malik does the only thing he can think off.

"UNCLE!" He screams.

Inside the house, Kojiro jumps when he hears his nephew yell. Within seconds he has his coat on and is out the back door, nearly slipping and falling on the back porch. Then he quickly makes his way through the snow and through the hole in the fence. He spots Malik and Tama immediately and curses when he sees the state of his daughter.

"Malik, go fill the bathtub with barely warm water." Kojiro orders. "It can't be too warm or else she'll go into shock."

Malik nods. "Okay." He quickly runs back to the house to do as his uncle asks. Meanwhile, Kojiro gently picks up his daughter and carries her back to the house, all the while cursing Mr. Bakura.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"We're moving." Kojiro says, later once everyone is home and assembled in the living room.

Tama is curled up on the larger couch with Mokuba, Malik, and a fluffy blanket. Seto and Kiba are on the smaller couch with concerned looks on their faces.

"Where are we going to go?" Kiba asks. "There won't be many houses for sale with Christmas coming up soon."

Kojiro runs a hand through his hair. "We'll figure out something. Don't worry." He looks at his children seriously. "I promise that everything will work out. We'll have a new home before Malik's birthday."

Mokuba yawns and snuggles closer to Tama.

"Why don't you guys bring your blankets and pillows out here and we'll all sleep here in the living room tonight." Kojiro suggests. "Kiba, Seto, will you two help me?"

"Sure, dad." Kiba replies, getting off the couch.

Seto does the same.

Come nine o'clock, everyone is fast asleep on the large makeshift bed of thick and fluffy blankets and pillows.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**December 23, 1999**

"How does it feel to be ten-years-old today?" Kiba asks Malik on the evening of the Egyptian's birthday.

Malik looks at Kiba in confusion. "Normal. Should I feel any different?"

Kiba laughs. "That's what I said the first time dad said that to me. It's one of those strange, confusing sentences that usually make no sense. Anyway, dad says you got a package from your sister when we were watching 'Mrs. Doubtfire' earlier."

"Isis sent me a gift?" Malik asks. "I hope she didn't get caught."

"I'm sure she's fine, Malik." Kiba assures. "How about we go see what she sent to you."

Malik nods.

Everyone else, meaning Kojiro, Tama, Mokuba, and Seto, is waiting for them in the living room. Everyone is interested in what could be in the box. (it's a mysterious box from Egypt. Who wouldn't want to know what's in it?)

"You need not wonder any longer!" Kiba announces as he and Malik walk into the room. "Our birthday boy has arrived!"

"Open it, open it!" Tama and Mokuba chant.

Kiba looks at his youngest acting siblings in amusement before looking over at Malik. "I believe they're more excited than you are. Isn't that something?"

"Actually, I think it's normal." Seto speaks up. "What do you think, Malik-kun?"

"Sounds normal to me." Malik replies.

"Open it, open it!" Tama and Mokuba chant again.

Malik laughs. "Alright, I'll open it!" He says, picking up the box. Or rather, trying to pick up the box. It seems to be too heavy for him to lift, so he decides not to pick it up and instead sits on the floor beside it and begins pulling off the brown paper around it. Then he has to peel off the tape holding the box shut. Once all of that is done he just lifts the flap of the box reveal… packing peanuts!

"Yay! Packing peanuts!" Tama exclaims.

Seto sighs. "Tama-chan, the last time you played with those you nearly choked on one because you wanted to find out if they'd taste like normal peanuts."

Everyone in the room laughs, even Tama.

"I only did that because you all dared me to." Tama says defensively. "Therefore, it's not my fault."

"_Sure_, Tama." Kiba says jokingly. "Now hush about the peanuts so we can see what Malik got."

Everyone's attention goes back to Malik as he rummages through the packing peanuts to pull out an envelope. He opens it and pulls out a letter to read out loud. "_'Dear Malik, I hope you are well on your birthday and that this package reaches you safely. Father has fallen ill recently, which is why I am able to send this to you. In this box are items that you would have received if you were here. I've also included a book that explain's our family's history.'_" Malik pauses for a moment. "_'A word of caution to you, my brother. One of the items in this box can be very dangerous when used for the wrong reason. Please don't make me regret sending it to you. Love, Isis.'_"

"Wow…"

"Double wow…"

"Triple wow…"

"Quadruple wow…"

"…"

Everyone turns to look at Tama.

"What?" She asks. "Do any of _you _know what comes after 'quadruple'?"

"Quadruple plus one?" Mokuba offers.

Everyone laughs at this, but soon calm down since they still want to know what's in the box.

Malik begins pushing aside the packing peanuts to find out what else is in there. The first package he pulls out contains gold arm bands that are too big for him at the moment. The next package holds a pair of gold earrings. The third package is extra arm bands. The fourth one is more interesting.

Malik holds up the item for everyone to see, the gold rod cool against his hands. At the top of it is a ball with the Eye of Horus on it and "wings" coming off it.

"What is that?" Tama asks curiously.

Malik checks the small note that came with it. "Sister says that it's called 'the Millennium Rod'. She also says that it's one of seven and that in the past it was said to have belonged to an Egyptian high priest."

"I've heard of these." Kojiro mentions. "I think… Malik, did she say the name of the high priest?"

Malik checks the note and frowns. "Yeah… but the last part of the name is blurred. It looks a lot like Seto's name… It says 'S-E-T' and then another letter."

"This is so neat!" Mokuba exclaims. "It's too bad Ryou-kun isn't here."

"Who?" Tama asks.

"Ryou-kun." Mokuba repeats, thinking Tama didn't hear him the first time.

Tama frowns. "Who's that? One of your friends from school?" She guesses.

Everyone looks at Tama in confusion while Mokuba continues to remind her who it is.

"You know. Ryou-kun. White-haired, brown-eyed, huggable Ryou-kun who lived next door to us." Mokuba says.

"I-" Tama's eyes widen and she drops her head into her hands with a cry of pain. The dragon pendant around her neck glows slightly. She tightly closes her eyes and murmurs, " No no nononononono…"

"Nee-chan, what's wrong?" Seto asks fearfully. He rests a hand on her shoulder.

Tama's eyes snap open and turn violet. She shoves Seto away as she jumps up yelling, "Leave me alone!" Then she runs upstairs to her and Malik's new room and slams the door shut.

Everyone is so focused on Tama that nobody notices the soft sine of the Millennium Rod or the way Malik's eyes darken and his hair spikes up slightly.

When questioned later, Tama doesn't even remember the incident and Ryou's name still doesn't ring any bells. Malik's own memory of the whole thing is hazy at best.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**January 1, 2000- Jordan, New York**

Nine-year-old Ashling Phoenix awakens with a gasp at 5:28 in the morning. She sits and stares out into the darkness for a moment before slipping off the lower bunk and climbing up the ladder leading to the top bunk. "Liam!" She whispers loudly. "Liam, wake up!"

Liam's blue eyes groggily open. "Ash?" He questions. "What's wrong?"

"I had a weird dream." Ashling whispers. "We were in it and so were some other people including that Damian boy we met last summer when we visited grandmother and grandfather at the lake."

Liam rubs his eyes. "Damian… he's the one you thought was cute because he had purple hair."

Ashling smacks her twin on the arm. "Did not! Now help me get the book and I'll tell you about the dream."

"How about you tell me about the dream now and we'll figure out things later at a proper time to be awake." Liam suggests.

"Okay… it started out as just you and me sitting outside but then more people started joining us. The first one was this really tan boy with light blonde hair. He sat down and…" She blushes slightly. "… and kissed me on the cheek. Next there were some more people who I think the boy was related to. There were two girls; one with black hair and the other with red, light blonde, and black hair. There were… three boys; one with brown hair, one with black hair, and one with red and blonde hair." Ashling pauses to go over what she's said. "We're all sitting there talking and slowly more people arrive. There was Damian, Riley, Max, a blonde boy, another boy with brown hair, a brown haired girl, two boys with white hair, two boys with spiky red, black, and blonde hair, another boy with light blonde hair, a girl with reddish-brown hair, two boys with turquoise hair, another boy with black hair, another boy with brown hair, a girl with red, black, and blonde hair, another boy with black hair, and a girl with light brown hair."

"I never cease to be amazed by your selective memory." Liam comments. "Okay, so you had a dream about a bunch of people neither of us know. Is that all?"

Ashling shakes her head 'no'. "There were cats and dragons and lots of gold. And food. I think there was some strange, large red bird flying above us and either a wolf or a dog laying by some bushes or a tree."

"…" Liam stares at his twin for a moment.

"What do you think it means, Liam?" Ashling asks.

"That's we're going to have too many friends in the future." Liam says. "Go back to bed, Ash. We'll talk about it later, I promise."

Ashling sighs. "Okay… goodnight."

"Goodnight."

_**-F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S-**_

Shiro: Wow... this is the longest chapter I've done so far.

Bast: It's a miracle. Lets throw a party!

Shiro: Lets not and say we did. That way Kitsune will be confused about how we managed to organize a party and have it in just one hour.

Bast: Going back to your old game of 'Let's torture Kitsune' are you?

Shiro: That sounds about right.

NEXT CHAPTER- _more visions, tragedies, and high-school bullies._


	11. Chapter 11: September Troubles

Disclaimer: Saying I own Yugioh is like saying the world ended on June 6, 2006. It hasn't happened and it's not gonna happen. (Obviously, as it's way past that date)

Things to know: Katsuya Jounouchi- Joey Wheeler; Shizuka Jounouchi- Serenity Wheeler; Hiroto Honda- Tristan Taylor

_**-F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S-**_

_Chapter 11_

**September 11, 2001- Virginia**

"Li', give me the tissue box." Ashling says, trying to reach the box of tissues that are laying by the couch her twin brother is on.

"Get your bown." Liam replies, his voice affected by his stuffed up nose. "Dese are by dissues."

"Don't care." Ashling replies. "I need one."

"Bine. But dus' one." Liam replies. Trying not to move very much, he reaches down and grabs a tissue and throws it in Ashling's face. "Dere."

"Thanks." Ashling says. Then she noisily blows her nose.

Liam rolls his eyes and then turns his attention to the TV to see the channel flicker and change to something else showing a large, smoking skyscraper. He frowns. "Ash, durn it up."

Ashling complies just in time to watch a plane strike the second twin tower. "What in the world…?"

The twins watch as the footage of the first plane hitting the tower replays and then as the two buildings collapse. Neither of them move.

After fifteen minutes of sitting there in shock, Ashling numbly turns off the TV. Neither of them want to see any more of it.

Shakily, Ashling gets off the small couch and joins her brother on the larger couch while Damian blows his nose. "Oh gods…" She sniffs. "Li', tell me this isn't really happening. Please tell me it isn't happening."

Liam sighs. "I wish I could."

Ashling suddenly gasps. "Damian! Liam, Damian was flying to New York this morning! What if he was on one of those planes? Oh gods…"

"Calm down, Ash." Liam says. "I'm sure Damian is safe. Any minute now he'll be calling to let us all know that he's alright. Just watch. Any minute now."

Minutes pass. A half hour comes and goes without any word. Ashling breaks down and begins crying while Liam just wraps one arm around his twin in comfort. Another half hour passes. Ashling's crying turns to heavy sobbing and Liam begins crying.

The phone rings and the two freeze. Upstairs, Mrs. Phoenix answers the phone. Moments later she comes down the stairs and hands the phone to Liam.

Liam wipes away his tears. "Hello?"

"Liam? Hey." Damian says softly.

"Damian! You're alright!" Liam exclaims. "What's going on? Where are you? You're not hurt, are you?"

"I just arrived in New York City and the entire airport is in complete chaos. I just saw the news not too long ago." Damian replies in a subdued tone. "How's Ash doing?"

"She's been crying for the past half hour or so." Liam replies. "Here, tell her you're still among the world of the living." He hands the phone to his twin.

"D-Damian?" Ashling chokes out.

"Hey, koneko. You okay?"

Ashling resumes crying. "Damian, I was s-so worried!"

"Sorry about that. I just got here not too long ago. And I've got to cut this short since I'm on a pay phone and it'll go out soon. I'll see you tomorrow evening, I promise. Stay safe and give my love to Li'-dearest." He finishes teasingly. "Ja ne."

"See you…"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**September 11, 2004**

Liam carefully refolds a shirt before laying it neatly in his bright green suitcase.

"Liam?" Ashling quietly asks from the bedroom doorway.

Liam looks up from his packing. "Hey, Ash. Did you have fun hanging out with Damian and Holly?"

Ashling nods. "Yeah…"

Liam frowns. "What's wrong, Ashling? You sound upset. And don't say that it's nothing, because you don't block your feelings from me for 'nothing'."

"I had another vision when I was at Damian's house…" Ashling says hesitantly, tears forming in her eyes. "It was horrible. Worse than the vision of the nine-eleven attack--"

"You never told me you had a vision of that!" Liam exclaims. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was scared." Ashling tells him. "And I didn't understand it." Getting the feeling that Liam is upset by her not telling him, she walks across the room and hugs him. "I'm sorry for not telling you, 'nii-chan."

"It's alright." Liam says. "Now, sit down and tell me about this vision of yours that has you so upset."

Ashling trembles as she sits down on Liam's bed with Liam. "It was horrible. It seemed so real that I woke up screaming. Damian freaked out when I told him." She takes a deep breath and lets her eyes go unfocused. "You and your friends were coming back from the airport and this drunk driver hit's the car you're in. You-…" The emotionless voice Ashling started out with at the start of recounting her vision cracks and she begins to cry. The barrier holding back her emotions shatter, letting Liam feel some of what his twin feels.

Wordlessly, Liam holds Ashling close and begins crying as well, knowing what she was about to say.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Two weeks later, Liam's friends are returning from their trip when they're hit by a drunk driver. Nobody got hurt badly, but the side Liam was to sit on was hit the hardest. If he had been sitting there in the car, he wouldn't have survived.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**September 28, 2004- Domino City**

"Big brother!"

Fourteen-year-old Katsuya Jounouchi looks up to see his younger sister, Shizuka Jounouchi (1), running up to him. Right behind her is Hiroto Honda, a close friend of Katsuya's.

"Honda, what did you do this time? I swear if you've gotten Shizuka in trouble I'll--" Katsuya is cut off by his sister grabbing his arm.

"Run, Katsuya! There's people after us!" Shizuka yells.

"Move it, Jounouchi!" Honda yells angrily. "I'm not in the mood to be pounded by a bunch of high school bullies today!"

"I can handle them." Katsuya retorts.

"At the risk of hurting your sister?" (2) Honda shoots back, grabbing the blonde's other arm. "Lets get out of here before they catch up!"

Between Honda and Shizuka, the three of them get out of the alley and to the Jounouchi family's apartment room before any of the high school kids catch up to them.

"That was a close one." Honda comments. "I don't think I've ever run that fast before."

"Well now you have." Katsuya pants. "Now get out of here before our dad comes home. He doesn't like it when I have guests over. Particularly guy guests." He glances at Shizuka, who's already straightening up the living room. "I think he's afraid of what could happen to Shizuka. He's been trying to clean himself up since she came to live with us."

"That's good." Honda says. "I'll see you two tomorrow at school. Stay safe, alright?"

"You too, Honda." Katsuya says. "And thanks for watching out for Shizuka."

"Hey, you'd do the same for me." Honda says. "And as I've said before, it's no problem." He says before leaving.

Katsuya sighs heavily when the door closes behind his friend and then looks around the small apartment room. "Hey Shizuka, I'm going to start on dinner. Any requests?"

Shizuka looks up and shakes her head 'no'. "Anything you cook is fine, big brother." She says with a smile. "You should get your own restaurant when you grow up. You could be the head chef!" She giggles at the thought of her brothering wearing an apron and a chef's hat.

"That'd be cool. A dream come true, really." Katsuya admits. "But it ain't going to happen, sis. Where would I get the money to go to a school to learn how to cook really well and then find the money to even open my own restaurant?" He shakes his head. "I'll just have to keep cooking for you, dad, and Honda. As long as there's somebody who enjoys my cooking I'll be happy."

Shizuka looks sadly at her brother as he begins checking the cabinets and refrigerator for edible food. _'Big brother, I'm going to try my hardest to make your dream come true, so you'd better do the best you can and take the chances when they come to you.'_ Shizuka thinks. _'You'll be the greatest cook in the world. Just you wait.'_ The image of her brother hosting his own cooking show pops in her head and she giggles. _'Without the cheesy cooking shows.'_

_**-F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S-**_

(1) This is partially explained further down... in the show, Shizuka's actual last name is 'Kawai' but in this lovely AU she's been living with her dad and brother for about a year and never changed her last name.

(2) What Honda meant was 'Do you want to accidentally get Shizuka hurt by your fighting', 'cause Katsuya-kun would kick himself before hurting Shizuka.

And on Katsuya's name; I hope it won't confuse people if I use his first name. The rest of the group still calls him 'Jounouchi' though (with the exception of Shizuka), but I call him Katsuya in the non-speaking/thinking parts.

0-0-0-0

Shiro: Interesting chapter... I hope I didn't make Ashling too emotional. I mean, it's kind of rational, right? She's having strange dreams that keep coming true and she dreamt that her twin died.

Bast: It's fine, Shiro. Don't worry so much about it.

Kitsune: Is it just me, or does the plot seem to twist away from the original show's plot more and more?

Shiro: ...

Bast: ...

Kaze: (reading)

Keitaro: (humming)

Damian: ...

Kyle: (in the kitchen with Katsuya/Joey)

Shiro: I have no comment. I'm too busy trying not to laugh and keeping a straight face. Is it working?

Bast: (sees the amused look on Shiro's face) Not very well.

Shiro: Well, darn. (snaps fingers) Anyway, I suppose I should say something about the name I've used for our favorite blonde duelist. Simply put, I like the name Katsuya. . But if any one gets too confused about it... I don't know what to tell you, 'cause it's staying that way! Bwahahaha!

Bast: Now that hikari-dearest has been acting like an idiot, it's time to end this. Get her, boys!

Damian and Keitaro: (tackle Shiro)

NEXT CHAPTER: _Moving, uniforms, and a plan_


	12. Chapter 12: Back to Domino!

Disclaimer: Saying I own Yugioh is like saying the world ended on June 6, 2006. It hasn't happened and it's not gonna happen. (Obviously, as it's way past that date)

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_Chapter 12_

_April 2006- England_

Strike. Parry. Step. Strike. Duck. Step. Strike.

Riiiiiip.

"Seto, this is a new shirt!" Tama shouts. "Do you have any idea how hard a fish net shirt is to fix!"

"Very hard." Seto replies. "Which is precisely the reason why I told you not to wear that shirt for this."

"It's part of my fighting outfit." Tama retorts.

"Naruto otaku!" Mokuba shouts from the sidelines.

Kojiro chuckles as the teenagers begin bickering light-heartedly. Eventually all of them begin laughing at some off-the-wall comment that Seto has made and Tama's obvious retort.

"So much for sparring before we split up." Kojiro comments to himself before directing a question towards his kids. "I feel like consuming an unhealthy amount of ice cream now. Who's with me?"

Tama and Mokuba cheer as they run into the house chanting, "Ice cream, ice cream!"

"Wait for me!" Kiba yells, chasing after them.

Malik and Seto exchange glances and then run after their family members. Kojiro collects the dagger and numerous other pointy weapons from the yard before he goes inside. When he enters the kitchen he discovers that they've scooped a bunch of different ice creams into the biggest bowl in the house and have added Hershey's hard shell, M&M's, sprinkles, and cool whip to it.

Tama and Malik engage themselves in a spoon fight with Mokuba cheering for Tama and Kiba cheering for Malik. Seto is commentating the 'fight'.

All of them are determined to stay happy and not cry for the entire day. Why? Because the next day Kojiro will be going to New York City to oversee the building of a Muto Gaming Company building and will be staying a while to make sure everything runs smoothly. He also has to discuss some business with Pegasus J. Crawford and will be traveling out to California to do so.

Kiba is going to head to Egypt to do some research for a game he's working on and to see if he can find his and Tama's mother's old home.

Everyone else, Seto, Malik, Tama, and Mokuba, is going to move back to Domino City, Japan where they'll be close to their grandpa and cousin, Yugi. Unknown to the four of them, Kojiro has arranged a pleasant surprise for them.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"I can't believe there are no taxi's." Tama mutters. "This thing is heavy." She glares at the suitcase she now has to carry, because one of the wheels is broken.

"It's your fault for packing so much." Malik tells her. "So, Seto, how much further until we get there?"

"We have one more road to go." Seto replies. "But does anyone get the feeling we've been here before? I know you don't, Malik." He says before the blonde can open his mouth.

Tama looks around. "It looks a little familiar. I think the game shop is straight ahead. And there's the Kaiba Corp skyscraper." She points to the tall, shiny skyscraper that rises above the rest.

"Very flashy. Stupid rich guy." Malik comments.

"You do realize that daddy is one of those 'stupid rich guys'." Tama says teasingly.

"Don't make me tickle you in the middle of the sidewalk." Malik threatens.

"I dare--"

"I dare you both to be quiet and help me look for the damn road." Seto interrupts. "According to Kiba's map it should be around here somewhere."

Tama looks at the map in Seto's hands with distrust. "Seto, you do realize that by using Kiba's map there is a good chance of us getting lost, right?"

Seto sighs and shoves the crudely made map into his pocket. "Right. Who wants to go ask where Taiga Road is?"

After a brief discussion and having Tama ask a few people walking by, the group of teenagers finds the correct road and begin trying to fin the house Kojiro bought.

After they check the number of every house on the road, they reach the last one that has a moving van in the driveway. All four of them sweat drop.

"Well, I feel incredibly stupid now. How about you guys?" Tama asks.

"Yeah. This is where we used to live and none of us even noticed!" Mokuba exclaims.

The three older teens, particularly Seto and Tama, stare at Mokuba in something akin to shock.

"And now I feel _really _stupid."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

After taking a look around the house and showing Malik everything that hasn't changed, Seto heads out to Domino Jr. High and Domino High to make sure their dad registered them at the schools. He also gets the task of getting their school uniforms.

Meanwhile, Malik, Mokuba, and Tama begin unpacking boxes starting with plates, bowls, cups, and silverware. They then head to their rooms to begin unpacking clothes.

Seto returns while they are doing so.

"I'm home!" He calls after stepping into the house. "Come get your school uniforms!"

Tama, who's refolding a shirt to put away in her and Malik's dresser, sighs and sarcastically mutter, "Great, _more _clothes to put away."

In his and Seto's room, Mokuba giggles. _'This should be interesting. Tama always hates the school uniforms for girls.'_

Malik is having similar thoughts.

A few minutes pass, but eventually they are all in the kitchen to get their uniforms. Although Malik does have to practically drag Tama to the room.

Seto hands out the boxes the uniforms are in and prepares himself for what Tama's going to say about her uniform. He won't blame her for being upset, since he thinks they're horrible himself.

Tama opens the box and promptly glares at the uniform. Then she pokes it. When it doesn't spontaneously combust or do any damage to her finger, she picks up the horrible pink and blue thing. "You're going to suffer a horrible, untimely accident that involves bleach or red dye or both." She tells it.

The three boys sweat drop.

"At least your reaction this time isn't as bad as the last one." Mokuba says. "And that one didn't have _any _pink on it."

Tama scowls in remembrance. "Yeah, but I couldn't do anything at all to that uniform since there was actually something in the rulebook about that. Apparently here in Domino they aren't that smart."

"What a wonderful thing to hear…" Seto mutters sarcastically. "Well, if you're already planning on pissing off the teacher, why not confuse everyone while you're at it?"

Tama's eyes light up. "What's your idea?"

"I'll tell you over dinner." Seto says. "Lets go out and celebrate our return to Domino City."

"Good idea. Although I don't think Domino City will be celebrating our return." Mokuba remarks. "After all, wherever we go we take trouble with us. Right Mr. Big-shot-Blue-Eyes duelist?" He teases.

Seto just rolls his eyes.

"Domino City will just have to suffer then." Tama says cheerfully. "Now lets go with Seto's idea and get some food! I'm starving!"

"Nothing fast food or a restaurant revolving around meat!" Malik says.

"Agreed."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Malik, Tama, Mokuba, and Seto get up early the next morning and eat a light breakfast before getting ready and going to their school's early.

Malik, Seto, and Tama walk Mokuba to the Jr. High first and then head to their own. The three arrive just early enough to get their schedules, compare them, and find out where their homerooms are located.

"I've got room two-D for homeroom, History for first, then Drama, then English--"

Malik cuts Tama off. "Advanced English or normal English?" He asks in a teasing tone.

"Advanced. Fourth I have Advanced Geometry, and last I have Chemistry." She finishes.

"I've got room two-B for homeroom, Advanced Chemistry first, Drama second, then Advanced English, then Advanced Geometry, and last is History." Seto says.

"Neat. I've got room two-B for homeroom, then History, Drama is second, then Advanced English, then Advanced Geometry, and last is Biology two." Malik says.

Tama and Seto look at Malik in surprise. "How'd you manage Bio _two_? We aren't taking that until next year."

"Because that one year I had two science classes." Malik reminds them.

"Science geek." Tama and Seto tease.

Malik ignores them like he always does and merely comments something along the lines of, "At least I'm not a technological junkie who practically worships computers and video games."

Seto smirks. "He has learnt well, yes?"

"Yes, he has." Tama replies. "Shall we head off? According to half of the working clocks in this hallway, the bell for homeroom will ring any minute now."

Malik almost laughs. "Yeah, you don't want to make a bad impression, huh, Tama."

Tama glances down the uniform she's wearing with a happy smile on her face. She's wearing one of Malik's school uniform's after allowing the blonde to run it through the washer and dryer, since Malik is the only one who can shrink things. "You're not impressed?"

"Actually, I am impressed by Seto's plan. You'd never think of him as an _evil _genius." Malik says. "That's more of ours and Mokuba's area of expertise. Now, I have a plan to suggest."

"And what would that be?" Tama asks.

"Onward to homeroom!" Malik yells, charging forward into the growing crowd.

Tama and Seto watch for a moment before Tama asks, "Do you think he knows that he's going to wrong way and if so, should we tell him?"

Seto watches for a moment longer. "Who knows with Malik. Either way, he'll figure out where to go eventually."

The two watch as Malik pauses down the hall, smacks his forehead, and turns around and comes back.

"Wrong way." He says sheepishly.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Five minutes into homeroom in room 2-B, Malik and Seto are standing at the front of the classroom being introduced to everyone.

"What made you think the classroom was the other way?" Seto quietly asks.

"I dunno. I just saw something down the hall and wanted to know what it was." Malik quietly replies.

"So what was it?"

"A bathroom."

Seto resists the urge to bang his head against the wall. That wouldn't fit the 'image' he wants to produce for school time. He's going with his new favorite 'I'm-a-cold-bastard-so-leave-me-the-hell-alone' routine. He just wants an excuse to keep pushy girls at a distance.

"Everyone, it appears we have two new students joining our homeroom. This is Seto Muto and Malik Ishtar." The teacher gestures to them individually as he says their names. "It says here that they're transferring from England. Perhaps you'll get along well with Ryou Bakura over there. He lived in England at one time, I believe." He looks around the classroom. "Just pick a seat and the rest of you can get back to your gossiping.

"Seto, over here!" Yugi waves an arm in the air in hopes of getting the brunette's attention over the explosion of noise.

"C'mon." Seto mutters to Malik. "That's our cousin, Yugi Muto."

"Great! Now we have someone who can show us around. This school's confusing. Who uses letters to number doors, anyway?" Malik complains.

"Apparently this school." Seto says.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Malik, Yugi, Tama, Anzu, and Katsuya walk into History class as a small, laughing group.

"So I'm in homeroom being introduced and over half of the girls are drooling at me while just about all of the guys are glaring at me." Tama begins laughing and has to force herself to stop so she can continue. "And then I take my seat amidst a crowd of girls and they all started flirting with me! I've never been so amused in my life. Do I really look that much like a guy?"

"I have to admit, when I first saw you I thought you were a guy." Anzu comments. "It's defiantly the uniform that does it. Why are you wearing the guy's uniform anyway?"

"It's a bit of a joke." Malik tells the others. "Tama discovered in the dress code section of the school rules that you have to wear a school uniform and the proper shoes. It said nothing about what uniform or what shoes, so when Tama mentioned this, Seto came up with this wonderful plan."

"Seto?" Katsuya asks. "You mean the cold brunette guy who glares at everyone and speaks down to everyone? He's almost worse than Kaiba!"

"Kaiba?" Malik and Tama ask in unison.

The group of five go take their seats in a corner of the room while Yugi explains so that Katsuya doesn't get too angry before class.

"Noa Kaiba. He's the CEO of Kaiba Corporation. Nobody's sure about what it produces anymore, but they produced weapons under his father." Yugi says. "He doesn't get along with anyone and always acts superior over everyone."

"He calls me a mutt." Katsuya growls. "A _mutt_! Can you believe that!"

Anzu sighs and pats Katsuya on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Jounouchi. We know you're not a mutt."

Katsuya calms down a little. "Thanks, Anzu."

The bell screeches and everyone cringes at the noise. It's almost as bad as the fire alarms! The teacher walks in and everyone takes a seat.

"I believe we have two new students with us today. Everyone, give a warm welcome to Tamashira Muto and… Malick Ishtar."

"I got by Tama, sir." Tama speaks up.

"And my name is Malik. Not Malick." Malik says.

The teacher looks mildly annoyed at being corrected, but instead of commenting, he just begins class.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

First, second, and third period classes pass by quickly. Now the group is at lunch together and they've decided to eat outside in the shade. Yugi gets to handle the last of the introductions.

"Everyone who hasn't already, I'd like you to meet my cousin's Tama and Seto Muto and Malik Ishtar." Yugi says. "All three of you know Jounouchi and Anzu. The others are Honda, Miho, and Bakura."

Seto and Malik curse mentally when they notice Ryou sitting quietly against the oak tree that is providing their shade.

"It's nice to meet you all." Tama says politely. Her eyes flicker to Ryou for a brief moment before she turns to Seto. "Do you think it's safe to take off my jacket off now?"

Seto looks around to see how many people are outside and then he nods.

Tama sighs in relief. "Finally." She carefully unbuttons the jacket and shrugs it off. Underneath it she's wearing a light blue tank top with a black dragon on it. "I've felt like a complete idiot all day with that thing buttoned all the way up." She glances over at Seto. "Speaking of which… Seto, you look like a complete idiot."

Keeping up his cold façade, Seto glares at Tama, who shrugs it off and sits down with the rest of the group.

While Tama's talking to the others, Malik pulls Seto over to the side.

"She still doesn't remember him." Malik says, glancing at Ryou for a moment before looking back at Seto. "And it doesn't look like he remembers us."

"Maybe it's for the best." Seto says. "None of us know what even happened on that day except for those two. Dad thinks that Tama's mind blocked it out and in doing so she blocked out all her memories of Ryou. Maybe the same thing happened to Ryou."

"So their minds made up new memories to replace the ones with each other in it?" Malik asks.

"No." Seto says. "Kiba thinks that their minds erased one another and put somebody else in it's place. Of course, now we know that Ryou doesn't recognize any of us, so most likely he remembers nothing except for school."

"So… what's going to happen if they remember one another? Or if one remembers but the other doesn't?" Malik questions.

Seto frowns. "I don't know. Things would be stressed for a while, but maybe they'd be able to pick up their friendship. It all depends on what happened that night and how much it's going to haunt them."

The two look over at their new friends and Tama, where they're passing around lunch boxes to see who cooks the best.

"This is good! Did you make this, Tama?" Anzu asks.

Tama shakes her head 'no'. "My little brother Mokuba did!" She says proudly.

This makes the topic turn to younger siblings, but soon it's just Katsuya and Tama talking. Then Tama mentions Seto being younger than her, which Katsuya finds hilarious. Tama goes on to say that she's a younger sibling as well and then tells the others a little about Kiba.

Lunch flies by. In fact, the entire day goes by quickly.

When school is out, Tama talks Seto and Malik into going home without her to start on dinner while she walks with Katsuya to get Mokuba. She also wants to meet Katsuya's little sister.

On the way to the Jr. High school, the two talk about their interests, their family, and some random things. The topic they linger on the longest is cooking.

"Do you have any recipe's I can try out?" Katsuya asks. "I've checked the school's library for books with different recipe's, but they don't have any. And I don't have time to go to the public library. The closest one is hours away from where I live."

"I've got some books and stuff that I can let you borrow. I'll bring them tomorrow." Tama promises. "There's the Jr. High! Race you!"

The two take off running down the sidewalk, dodging around people and objects that are also on the sidewalk. The two skid to a halt outside the school's gates, nearing crashing into the wall and each other when Tama trips.

Five seconds after this, Mokuba comes out at full speed.

"TAMA!" A blur of black happily shouts, running toward them. The blur of black is, of course, Mokuba. Ignoring all of the people on the sidewalk who are staring at them, he tackle-hugs Tama.

Tama just laughs, completely used to it. "Nice to see you too, Mokuba. Did you have a good day at school?"

Mokuba nods. "Yup! Did you?"

"It was as good as it gets. A lot of people thought I was a boy at first though. Including Jounouchi here." Tama replies. "Jounouchi, this is my little brother Mokuba. Mokuba, this is Katsuya Jounouchi."

Mokuba looks at Katsuya for a moment with a questioning look in his eyes. "Are you related to Shizuka?"

Katsuya nods. "Yeah, she's my little sister."

"Oh… she stayed after a few minutes to talk to the teacher about something." Mokuba says. "I think she forgot to do her homework or something."

Katsuya frowns. _'That's odd. Sis always gets her homework done. I hope she's alright.'_

"Big brother!"

The group of three turns to see Shizuka hurrying off the school grounds with tears in her eyes.

Katsuya's heart lurches, his mind automatically jumping to the worst possible scenario as Shizuka runs right up to him and tightly hugs her brother.

"Shizuka, what's wrong?" Katsuya asks frantically. "Did someone say something to you? 'Cause if they did I'll-" He stops when Shizuka shakes her head back and forth.

"My eyesight…" She whispers. "Big brother, it's getting worse."

Katsuya stiffins and then tightly hugs his sister, tears prickling his eyes. _'Damn it… why Shizuka? Why my baby sister? She's done nothing! Nothing…'_

_**-F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S-**_

Shiro: I decided to put the whole 'Shizuka's eyesight' thing into this one.

Damian: We noticed. So where am I at? Will I be in there soon? Will I?

Shiro: You, Ashling, Nixx, Riley, and Liam get a large part of chapter 15. So chill out and wait.

Damian: Yay! I get to be in a large part of a chapter! Woo-hoo! (hugs Shiro)

Keitaro: (growls)

Shiro: (sighs) Yes, yes. I know you're happy, but could you please let go?

Damian: I'm going to go tell the others! (runs off)

Shiro: I'm pretty sure they already know... I'm surprised he doesn't, him being in my head and all.

Keitaro: He has to hear it for himself. (sneaks over and hugs Shiro)

Shiro: (twitches) Alright... that's it! We're going to end this once and for all! (grabs Keitaro's hand and drags him backstage to find Damian)

NEXT CHAPTER: _A weekend get-together, games, and the mall._


	13. Chapter 13: Fun, Games, and Shopping

Disclaimer: Saying I own Yugioh is like saying the world ended on June 6, 2006. It hasn't happened and it's not gonna happen. (Obviously, as it's way past that date) I also don't own the games _Twister _or DDR. Oh, and I don't own Hot Topic, which is briefly mentioned.

NOTE- I am now putting story news on my livejournal. (Please see my profile for the link.) It'll be some random stuff along with little sneak previews of the next chapter. Already have a sneak peak for chapter 14 up!

_**-F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S-**_

_Chapter 13_

Early on a Saturday morning, Tama and Mokuba bustle about the house preparing for their guests while Seto sits at the kitchen table with his laptop. Malik is off exploring the town on his motorcycle and is suppose to pick up some snacks.

Five days have passed since the four Muto's moved back to Domino City and met the others. In an effort to get to know their new friends better, Tama has invited Yugi, Katsuya, Shizuka, Honda, and Anzu over. It had started with just Yugi, Katsuya, and Shizuka, but then the others heard and after talking to Seto, Malik, and Mokuba, she decided to invite them as well.

"Do you think they'll be shocked by us?" Mokuba asks as he fills a tea kettle with water. "With Seto dressed the way he is and you with all your jewelry on." He gestures to the gold Tama's wearing.

"That's what we live for." Tama replies. "Seto, are you going to wear your earrings?" She asks as she's leaving the kitchen.

Seto looks up from his laptop. "I'm put them on as soon as I'm finished with this." He calls after her. Then he eyes the tea kettle that Mokuba is setting on the gas stove. "Caffeinated or decaffeinated?"

"Your choice. We've got the herbal and other flavored tea as well." Mokuba replies.

"Green tea for me." Seto says.

Tama returns with Seto's earrings and sets them down on the table by him. "Here you go. Mokuba," She looks to her youngest sibling. "what's the time?"

Mokuba carefully jumps off of the counter. He had gotten up there to reach the tray on the very top shelf of the cabinet. "Five minutes to go. Did you get out the games?"

Tama nods. "Yup. And I found extra pieces for monopoly if we don't do partners."

"This is going to be fun!" Mokuba exclaims. "It's been a long time since we had anyone over."

Seto shoots Mokuba a warning look when it looks like he's about to continue. Tama doesn't notice.

The doorbell rings.

"They're here!" Mokuba and Tama chorus before racing each other to the door.

Seto shakes his head in amusement and takes this moment to put in his earrings. Then he pretends to focus back on his laptop while he listens to the conversation going on in the hallway.

"I hope we're not too early." Yugi can be heard saying. "Jounouchi wanted to start out early just in case we got lost on the way here. I told him we wouldn't."

"Well you never know!" Katsuya says defensively.

Seto smirks when he heard the blonde. During that past week, he has discovered a fun way to pass time while at school. Seto calls it, "annoying Jounouchi". Tama calls it "mean".

"You have a beautiful house." Shizuka says politely.

"Thank you." Mokuba and Tama say in unison.

There's a moment of silence before, "You know, Yugi, you shouldn't wear your school uniform on weekends." Tama comments.

"Why not?" Yugi asks.

There's a pause before Tama says, "Because it's silly. Take the weekends to wear something that really expresses who you are. Me, Mokuba, Seto, and Malik do."

"And if you had your way you wouldn't wear any uniform at all." Mokuba teases. "Now come out of the doorway, guys. You're letting the hot air in."

"Where are the other two?" Honda asks, trying not to sound too worried.

Seto smirks and nearly chuckles, remembering Malik's "sudden" spurts of maniacal laughter he did randomly at points during the day when they were around the others. Of course his, "I poisoned the apple and am going to feed it to some poor, unsuspecting mortal. Do you want it, Jounouchi?" comment didn't help at all. As for Seto, he's done nothing wrong, exactly, but he has been rather cold and glares at them all. He finds it funny.

"Malik's out riding his motorcycle and promised to bring back snacks later." Mokuba says. "And big brother is in the kitchen working on something on his laptop."

The tea kettle begins whistling and Mokuba rushes ahead of the group to cut off the stove. The others enter the room as Mokuba's getting out cups and arranging them on the tray.

Katsuya is the last one to walk in and he stops short at the sight of Seto sitting relaxed on a kitchen chair, two earrings in each ear, his hair falling messily in his eyes without the use of hairspray, dressed in dark blue jeans and a black shirt that reads, "Bow before your master".

Seto looks up at Katsuya in amusement, taking in the blonde's tattered jeans, faded blue t-shirt, and jean jacket.

"Who wants tea?" Mokuba asks, interrupting whatever thoughts are running through their minds. "I know Seto wants green tea and I'm having strawberry tea, but what does everyone else want?"

Seto smirks. "How about dog bone flavored for the puppy."

Katsuya growls, his face turning slightly red. "I'm not a dog, Muto!"

"I know that. You're just a puppy."

"I'm not a canine!"

"Big word for you, puppy."

Mokuba and the others sigh as the two continue on and on. When they show no signs of stopping anytime soon, Mokuba takes everyone else's order and then Tama leads them across the hall to the living room.

"Tama, I have a question." Anzu says after looking at a Dark Magician Girl plushy that's laying on a table.

Tama gently takes the sai that Honda picked up and sets it back on the shelf it was on. "What is it?" She asks.

"Just out of curiosity, why didn't you invite Bakura to join us?" Anzu asks.

Tama's eyes flicker to a violet color for a second and then go right back to their normal lilac color. "I… I don't know." She admits. "So, who wants to play a game?" She changes the subject. "We've got monopoly, a ton of card games, _Twister_, DDR," She gestures to the television. "and a bunch of Playstation 2 games."

Anzu's eyes linger on DDR for a moment. "Does anybody want to dance?" She asks hopefully.

"I'll go if we don't play _Twister_." Tama volunteers. "And Seto and Malik are both pretty good. Try challenging Malik when he gets back." She suggests.

Anzu nods.

"_Twister_ sounds like fun." Shizuka says. "Can we play that first."

"We're playing _Twister_?" Mokuba questions as he enters the room with the tea tray. "If we are, then go tell the lover boys who are still arguing. If you can call it an argument." He mutters the last part under his breath.

Tama rolls her eyes. "I'll go get them. You guys choose our first game." She heads back across the hallway to get the other two while Mokuba sets the tray down on the living room table and hands out the cups of tea.

"Lets take a vote." Mokuba suggests. "Whoever wants to play _Twister_, raise your hand."

Shizuka and Honda raise their hands.

"Okay, so that's two plus Tama and I." Mokuba says. "Which makes it four people who want to play." He looks at Yugi and Anzu. "You guys can play another game if you really don't want to play _Twister_. Or you can watch and spin for us."

"I'll spin." Yugi volunteers. "I'm not very good at this game anyway."

Tama ushers a disappointed Seto and an angry Katsuya into the room with a smile on her face. "So, what's the game?"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Anzu, Mokuba, Yugi, Shizuka, and Honda watch Tama, Seto, and Katsuya in amazement.

"Who's have thought Jounouchi could bend like that? Not me, that's for sure." Honda comments.

Seto, Katsuya, and Tama are the only ones remaining on the _Twister_ mat. Tama is beneath both Katsuya and Seto and is having a difficult time staying upright with her arms criss-crossing and her feet just far apart enough that they aren't helping her balance.

Seto is bent over Katsuya's stomach, as the blonde has somehow managed to bend over backwards to reach one of the dots he needs. The two of them aren't having too much difficulty at the moment, but that could easily change in this game.

"Tama, left leg yellow." Mokuba says.

Tama looks around for an unoccupied yellow dot and groans when she finds there's only one open and that it's up past her right foot. "Mokuba, you know very well that there is no possible way for me to do that unless I move my right foot."

"No moving feet!" Mokuba reminds cheerfully. "This is the Ultimate Round."

"I give up. I know my limits." Tama says, carefully crawling off the mat without bumping into the two boys. She stands p and brushes imaginary dirt off her cloths before looking at Seto and Katsuya. "Good luck boys. You've entered the lightning round now. Who knows what will happen."

"Jounouchi, left hand bottom corner red." Mokuba says. "It's on the side labeled 'bottom'." He adds.

Katsuya looks around for it and sighs when he finds it. Carefully, he shifts his weight onto his right side and lifts up his left hand. Then he moves it past his right hand and lays it on the red dot.

"Great! Seto…"

The game continues on with the two getting more and more twisted up together.

"My, my. What strong, flexible men we have here." Tama comments during one of Seto's turns.

Shizuka giggles and Anzu laughs while the others look a little clueless. Then Mokuba grins and Seto mutters something about crazy sisters.

They eventually tire of the game, with neither Katsuya nor Seto falling or giving up. They choose to call it a draw and they all move on to their next activity; card games and DDR challenges.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Malik zooms through town on his motorcycle looking for a good place to stop and get some snacks. He's been driving around to check out everything for over and hour and has finally decided that it's time to get the snacks Tama asked for and Mokuba begged for.

Malik takes his eyes off the road for a moment to glance at the stores and then looks back at the road. He curses when he sees someone crossing the road in front of him and quickly brakes while turning to go around the person. He stops quickly and turns off the bike to see who it is.

"Ryou!" Malik exclaims in surprise. "I mean, uh… Bakura, are you alright?" He corrects his slip-up.

Ryou nods. "I'm fine. Thank you."

Malik takes off his helmet and clips it to his motorcycle before pushing the bike over to the curb so it's out of the way of the angry people in cars who are honking. "Are you sure?" He asks.

Ryou nods for a second time. "I need to be going now. I'm sorry I can't stay."

As Ryou turns to go, Malik's eyes darken and his hair spikes up.

Mariku grabs Ryou's arm and pulls him back, only it's not Ryou who looks back at him. Ryou has soft brown eyes and tame white hair, the boy in front of him has fierce mahogany eyes and wild white hair.

Bakura's eyes narrow when Mariku smirks and says, "Long time no see, old partner."

Bakura continues glaring and jerks his hand from Mariku's strong grip.

Mariku gives him a false hurt look. "Aww, no 'hello' for your dear old friend? I'm hurt, Bakura. Really, I am."

"What do you want, Mariku." Bakura growls.

"Just a 'hello' will do." Mariku teases. "What do I want? Hmm… world domination would be nice, but that's just a dream. For now I'll have to settle for annoying every single person around me without alerting my presence to my host."

Bakura rolls his eyes and grumbles, "You haven't changed one bit."

"You always said you liked that about me." Mariku comments.

"You're the same fool I knew three-thousand years ago."

"Now that's friendly." Mariku says sarcastically.

"It wasn't meant to be, thief." Bakura says, holding out a hand.

Mariku smirks and flips a coin into the air. "Pot calling the kettle black, King of Thieves." He comments. "So… is the pharaoh here and if so, may I take a guess as to who his host is?"

"If you already know then why are you asking?" Bakura shoots back.

Mariku sighs. "Bakura, you take the fun out of everything." He tosses the coin back to his old partner. "Yugi Muto is his host, isn't he." He says.

"You've gotten smarter." Bakura comments.

"Shut up." Mariku says cheerfully. "Makes sense. Yumeri's hostess is Yugi's cousin and Seto Muto is the reincarnation of Seth and is also Yugi's cousin."

"And let me guess, you're a cousin of Yumeri's hostess." Bakura states, his eyes guarded.

"Bingo!"

"Don't do that."

"Sorry. _Grumpy_."

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing my ass. You're a horrible liar."

"I'm glad you think so highly of me!"

"Don't be stupid."

"I'm not."

"…"

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Oh, come _on_, Bakura! Tell me."

"I did tell you. I told you it's nothing. Nothing you need to concern yourself with."

"Oh…"

"But then again, maybe you should."

"Baaaakuraaaaa!"

The two lapse into silence as a few people walk by.

"I'll tell you one thing, Mariku." Bakura says seriously. "Do not reveal my or your existence to yadonushi (1)."

"Same to you in regards to my hikari (2)." Mariku says seriously.

Bakura raises an eyebrow but makes no comment on Mariku's term for his other half.

"See you later, thief king." Mariku says. "Hikari has to go get snacks and go home. Have fun terrorizing the poor mortal fools of this city."

Bakura smirks. "Will do."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

The next day.

"Exactly why are we at a mall?" Katsuya asks.

"Because Yugi needs some different clothes." Tama says. "Trust me, I don't want to be here any more than you do. I hate shopping for clothes unless we're at Hot Topic, and as far as I know those stores are only in America." She sighs as she examines a mall directory. "Alright, lets go this way."

"What about Seto?" Yugi asks, glancing back at the doors they entered through less than a minute ago. "Shouldn't we wait for him?"

Tama's already walking toward her destination. "He'll find us, don't worry." She assures him. "Now come on."

Katsuya and Yugi hurry to catch up to Tama, who hasn't slowed down or paused at all.

The store Tama has chosen to start at has a wide selection of clothing. She leads the two over to the right section and looks around for a moment to get an idea of where everything is. "Okay… we'll start with shirts and figure out what looks best on Yugi and then go from there. Oh, and don't pick out a bunch of the same shirts."

The two boys sigh, but begin looking anyway. Tama smiles and begins looking as well.

"Tama, exactly why am I here? I know we're here for Yugi, but why did you choose me specifically? Anzu or Shizuka would be better at this." Katsuya says.

"Just because." Tama says vaguely, picking out a dark blue shirt. "Look, there's Seto! Seto! We're over here!" She waves an arm in hopes of catching her brother's attention.

Seto easily spots them and nods to Tama so she won't make too big of a fool out of herself while trying to get his attention. The brunette soon joins them in the search for clothing for Yugi.

A little while later they, meaning Tama, Seto, and Katsuya, usher Yugi to the changing rooms. Many shirts later, most of them rejected, they've discovered the style that suits Yugi best.

"Well, this means we're leaving the rest up to you, Seto." Tama says. "I'm going to kidnap Jounouchi now, if that's alright."

Seto nods. "Fine. However," He smirks. "it's more like puppy-napping."

"I'm not a dog!" Katsuya protests.

"He's teasing." Tama says, grabbing Katsuya's arm. "Come on."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Katsuya looks uneasily around the store Tama has dragged him into, feeling horribly out of place in his tattered jeans, old black and white t-shirt, and the jean jacket he's fond of wearing.

"Relax." Tama says, noticing his discomfort. "Now… I'd say you're about the same size as Seto. Maybe a little smaller…" She thinks for a minute. "Lets try this." She flips through a rack of shirts and chooses two different sizes in the same color. "You like blue, right Jounouchi?"

Katsuya nods. "Yeah." He catches sight of the price. "Damn! Tama, that's too expensive!"

Tama blinks and checks the price. "It's fine, Jounouchi."

"Tama, don't spend this much on me. I-"

Tama interrupts him. "If you're really uncomfortable with this and want to pay us back, then for the next few times we get together you get to do all the cooking." She says. "Just let me buy you two nice pairs of pants and three nice shirts."

Katsuya sighs. "Okay… I won't like it, but you Muto's are too darn stubborn to talk out of anything once you have your minds set."

Tama laughs. "Yeah, that sounds about right." She hands the two shirts to Katsuya. "Try these on and tell me which one fits better."

Wanting to get this over with as soon as possible, Katsuya does as she said. Meanwhile, Tama spots a couple of pink, button-up silk shirts and grins and heads over to them. She picks out two and then heads to the check-out counter to buy them before Katsuya comes back out.

A short time later Katsuya and Tama are out of the really expensive store and are walking around the mall to find some store to go in while they're waiting for Seto and Yugi to finish up.

"What's taking them so long?" Katsuya asks. "Shizuka doesn't even take this long to pick out clothes."

"Seto is very… picky when it comes to clothes. If something doesn't seem right in any way at all he tosses it aside." Tama explains. "One of the worst things about clothes shopping with Seto is that he takes an inhuman amount of time picking out the ones he likes. The best thing about shopping with him is that you get some really good clothes that you like."

"Remind me to never go shopping with him." Katsuya says.

"Okay." Tama agrees.

The two walk a bit further through the mall, carefully slipping through the crowd. Then Tama spots another store, this one with tinted windows and rock music coming from it. Excitedly, she grabs Katsuya's hand and drags him into it without hesitation.

Many t-shirts, a few pairs of jeans, a bumper sticker, and a new key chain later, the two are out of the store and heading back to check up on Seto and Yugi.

To Tama's surprise, the two are already at the check-out counter and are nearly done. Once she gets over her surprise she whispers to Katsuya, "Looks like Yugi's discovered the secret to shopping with Seto; give short, exact answers and agree with everything he says."

Katsuya laughs, mentally filing that away for the future just in case, as the two of them walk over to the cash register to join Seto and Yugi.

"So who's hungry?" Tama asks.

As if in response, Yugi's stomach growls and the other three laugh.

"Good, 'cause Jounouchi has agreed to cook dinner." Tama says. "I hope Shizuka, Mokuba, and Malik are hungry."

"You know Mokuba is." Seto says, handing a credit card to the cashier. "He's a bottomless pit."

"He's just like you then." Tama says, grabbing one of the bags. "So, who's driving home?" She asks.

"You and Jounouchi are the only two who are sixteen and have a license." Yugi points out.

"I'll drive back." Katsuya volunteers. "It's the least I can do."

Tama swats his arm. "And I told you it's no big deal. But if you wanna drive, then drive. As long as we get home without any injuries."

"Agreed." Seto says. "Now move, we're holding up the line."

_**-F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S-**_

(1) Yadonushi- landlord; Bakura's name for Ryou. I'm not sure whether it's spelled correctly or not, since the website I usually find YGO info on isn't working at the moment.

(2) Hikari- light; keep in mind that this Mariku is different from the one in the show. I wanted one of them to use hikari, so I chose Mariku mainly because he's the least sane of them and I'm going to use it for his nicknames for Yugi, Tama, Ryou, and Malik.

0-0-0-0

Shiro: Mariku and Bakura are going to be lots of fun to work with in this one!

Bast: Hikari, weren't you going to do something involving Shizuka's eyesight in this chapter?

Shiro: I was, but I'm going to hold off on it for a while.

Bast: As long as you get it done... Say, where are Damian and Keitaro?

Shiro: I locked them in the basement.

Bast: _Together!_

Shiro: Yup. They need to work out their differences.

Bast: You do realize that there are bricks, concrete, and fireworks down there, right?

Shiro: Yup!

Bast: sighs Oh great...

NEXT CHAPTER_: Vacation, the beach, and arguments._


	14. Chapter 14: Fun in the Sun

Disclaimer: Saying I own Yugioh is like saying the world ended on June 6, 2006. It hasn't happened and it's not gonna happen. (Obviously, as it's way past that date)

_**-F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S-**_

_Chapter 14_

Kojiro Muto yawns as he looks over a bunch of important documents. He almost lazily signs one after re-reading it for the third time.

"Mr. Muto."

Kojiro looks up to see his secretary standing at the door of his temporary office. "Yes?"

"Your son is on the phone." She says.

"Thank you." Kojiro says, picking up the phone. He smiles as the secretary leaves to give him privacy and leans back in his chair. "Hello, son."

"Hey daddy!" Mokuba cheerfully replies through the phone. "How goes it in the U.S. of A?"

Kojiro sighs heavily, which makes Mokuba laugh and ask, "Is it really that bad?"

"Not really." Kojiro replies. "It'll be a while before everything finally gets arranged correctly though. So, how is everything over there? I haven't heard from you all since you early last week."

"School's out and everyone's bored." Mokuba says. "Surprisingly, there's really not much to do around here. Can you believe that there are no Duel Monster tournaments going on here? Apparently it's just the championships this summer, but that's over in the U.S. somewhere. California, I think is what Seto said."

The gears in Kojiro's head are turning. They have been since Mokuba said, "School's out and everyone's bored" and kicks into overdrive at, "no Duel Monster tournaments". Kojiro smiles. "Is that so? Tell you what, I'm going to tell you how to find a summer get-away for you four and your new friends. It involves using your card keys (1), your laptops, and piecing things together.

"Once you figure things out, give Blue a call and give him his orders. Tell him that if there are any problems that he is to call me."

"Okay, dad. Thanks." Mokuba says. "I'll talk to you later, okay?"

Kojiro chuckles. "Excited, are you?"

"Well, yes, but Jounouchi just finished cooking and I'm starving." Mokuba explains.

"Go eat then." Kojiro says. "Tell the others I say, 'hello'."

"I will! Bye!"

-click-

Kojiro is smiling as he hands up the phone. Then he remembers the stack of papers setting on his desk and his smile fades. "Back to work."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Mokuba, the card keys were made for security reasons, remember?" Seto patiently says. "Why would they have something about a summer get-away on them?"

"Well that's what daddy told me." Mokuba says stubbornly.

"And since it was Uncle who told him and made the keys, then there's a ninety-nine point nine percent chance that it's true." Malik says. "Lets at least try it before we completely dismiss it."

"I agree with Mokuba and Malik." Tama says, tugging up the string on her card key, only to find it tangled with the gold chain attached to the dragon pendant.

"When'd you start wearing the pendant, Tama?" Mokuba asks. "I've never seen you wear it before now."

"I've been wearing it for a few years now. I think I started wearing it in… December nineteen-ninety-nine." Tama says as she tries to gently untangle the leather string and the gold chain.

Malik's eyes darken and a small smirk plays across his face. _'So that's where she's hiding. That old pendant of hers.'_

After a minute or two, Tama gets the two necklaces untangled and lifts the card key off from around her neck. "Alright, so what did dad say exactly?"

"He told me that it involves using our card keys, our laptops, and piecing things together." Mokuba replies.

"So lets put the keys in our laptops and see what happens." Malik says. "I'll go first." He pulls his laptop closer to him and takes his own card key off from around his neck before sliding it into a slot on the side of his laptop. The laptop beeps in response and the screen goes black except for a white blinking line.

"Type in your own password instead of the emergency one. We don't need any alarm systems going off." Seto says. His curiosity has gotten the better of him already.

Malik nods and types in his password and then sits back to wait. He doesn't have to wait too long before a picture of a beach at sunset pops up.

Mokuba looks at it for a minute and then takes off his own card key and slides it into his laptop. He types in his password and waits a few seconds before he gets a picture of an airplane.

Tama goes next and gets a picture of a house.

They all look to Seto.

"Come on, Seto. Please? You know you're just as curious as the rest of us." Mokuba begs.

Seto sighs heavily and then takes off his card key. After pulling his laptop closer to him, he slides the card key into the laptop. The screen goes blank except for the blinking white line just like it did for the others and he types in his password. Instead of a picture of a place or an object, Seto gets a map.

"You know, I was hoping for something a little more challenging." Tama says.

"So does everyone agree that the secret place is a beach house that we have to take a plane to get there and that the map shows the way to get there?" Malik asks.

"All of us except for Seto." Mokuba says with a grin, knowing that they've beyond convinced Seto that the card keys hold a secret vacation spot. Now all have to do is make plans.

Seto rolls his eyes. "Lay off. I believe you all know that I've seen that there actually is a secret location on the darn keys. Are we going to begin making plans or not?"

See?

"I'll call Blue!" Mokuba volunteers.

"I'll go tell the others. They should all be at Yugi's watching the California Duel Monster finals." Malik says.

"So that leaves us to make check lists and make arrangements to turn off the electricity and gas and everything else in the house for the rest of the summer." Tama says to Seto.

"Alright. I'll see you all later." Malik says, grabbing his helmet and keys.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"WOOO-HOOO!" Katsuya joyfully shouts as he catches sight of the plane that they'll be traveling in. "This is gonna be the best summer in the history of summers!"

Shizuka and Honda look away in embarrassment, Honda muttering, "Jounouchi…" You'd think by now that they'd be used to Katsuya's spontaneous bursts of childish energy.

The three are all prepared for the beach vacation and each have one suitcase and, in Katsuya and Shizuka's case, a small bag as well.

Shizuka's wearing a light green tank top and a floral skirt with a green background. A pair of cheap sunglasses rest of the top of her head.

Honda's wearing a white shirt and faded blue jeans that have been messily patched and sewn up. Unable to make the sunglasses stay on top of his head, Honda has stuck his on the collar of his shirt.

Joey's wearing a green t-shirt with some English words written on them. (Tama never did tell him what they meant, but he's working on translating it!) To be exact, the shirt reads, "Caution: I bite" and there's a picture of a cute cartoon puppy under it. He's also wearing his old jeans and a pair of sneakers.

"_Tamashira and Mokuba Muto!"_

The three look at the open door to the plane just in time to see Tama and Mokuba running out of it and down the plan steps laughing loudly.

Tama's wearing a pair of baggy beige pants and a dark red halter top that has a black Chinese dragon on it. Her hair's pulled up into a ponytail and she's wearing a dark red baseball cap.

Mokuba's wearing a short-sleeved blue and light blue striped shirt and a pair of dark blue swim trunks. He's even pulled his hair back into a low ponytail so it stays out of the way. He's also carrying something.

Suddenly Seto charges out of the plane door and down the steps in nothing but a Blue-Eyes White Dragon beach towel. Shizuka squeaks and looks away while Katsuya blushes and tries not to stare.

"Jounouchi! Take it and run!" Mokuba yells, tossing whatever it is he's carrying to Katsuya as he runs by.

Katsuya catches it and begins running without looking at what it is, thankful for the distraction. Meanwhile, Tama and Mokuba stop running and Seto begins chasing after Katsuya instead of his siblings.

Malik stands at the doorway of the plane to watch the theatrics unfold. He's dressed in his usual lavender-lilac colored shirt and beige baggy pants that are similar to Tama's.

After a minute or two of standing there and watching Seto chase Katsuya, Malik catches Shizuka's eye and gestures for her and Honda to bring their things onto the plane. Shizuka nods and taps Honda on the shoulder, whispering to him that they should get their stuff on the plane and get their seats.

Honda immediately takes Shizuka's suitcase and bag, along with his own suitcase, and manages to carry the three heavy pieces of luggage over to the plane steps before his arms can't take the strain any longer and he has to rest.

Shizuka giggles, a little amused by Honda's actions and at the same time annoyed that he thinks she's not strong enough to carry her own bags. Malik just rolls his eyes and walks down the steps.

"Looks like you could use some help." Malik comments.

Honda shakes his head. "It's fine. I've got it." He reaches for the suitcases and begins lifting them up again.

"The last thing you need is the begin vacation with sore arms." Malik says. "Let Blue put them up for you." He turns toward the plane door and yells, "Hey Blue! We've got two suitcases down here for you!"

A young man appears at the doorway, looking nothing at all like what you'd think a bodyguard would look like. Wavy black hair stays pulled back by a piece of pale blue ribbon, the dark bangs making his ocean blue eyes stand out even more, and a silver and gold chained necklace lays around his neck. And he's wearing a white t-shirt and dark blue swim trunks.

"What do I look like? Your personal bag-boy?" Blue questions in an annoyed tone.

Malik smirks. "No, but if I remember correctly you're being paid extra and you're coming on vacation with us."

Blue pauses for a moment, a mental debate going on behind his eyes. "I frickin' hate it when you're right. D'ya know that?" He says as he comes down the stairs. He pauses halfway down when something catches his eye. "What in blue blazes?"

Unsure of how to take Blue's odd phrase, the three turn around to see what's going on just in time to see Seto tackle Katsuya to the ground.

"Ahh… looks like Seto's found a new interest. It's about time." Blue comments off-handedly.

"What's that mean?" Honda asks.

Blue blinks. "You mean you don't know?" He walks down the rest of the steps and takes up a fascination with the suitcases. "Well, it ain't my place to tell. I'll just be taking the bags now. Might I suggest that you request for Shira (2), Mokie, Seto, and blondie to hurry up. We really ought to leave soon." He suggests, easily picking up the suitcases. With a grin, he carries them onto the plane.

"You two go on up. Yugi and Anzu are already here." Malik says. /"Apparently I've been designated as the mature one and therefore the responsibility of dragging Seto off of Jounouchi rests on me."/ He mutters in English. He notices the two blanks looks he receives and sweat drops. He hadn't even noticed that he was muttering in English. "Ignore what I just said. Just go ahead on the plane and I'll get the others."

Honda and Shizuka walk up the steps and get on the plane together. Honda plays the part of a perfect gentleman and lets Shizuka go first and choose the seats.

Meanwhile, Malik makes his way over to Seto and Katsuya while shooting disapproving looks at Tama and Mokuba. He reaches the two boys, who are arguing like usual, and crosses his arms over his chest.

"Stop acting like children and get on the plane!" Malik snaps. "Jounouchi, give Seto whatever it is that Tama and Mokuba stole from him. Seto, get off of Jounouchi before Blue comes back out here and yells some random, embarrassing, crude comment."

It's at this moment that Seto realizes he's straddling Katsuya and his cheeks promptly turn a light pink color.

"Either that or the tabloids will somehow get a picture." Mokuba comments. "Like that one time at that one fancy party when some people got it into their heads that Seto and Tama were married and I was their son." He wrinkles his nose. "That was weird."

"Yeah, and the fact that dad kept showing people pictures from that damn play had nothing to do with it." Tama says sarcastically. "C'mon, lets leave Malik to tell off Seto for making a fool out of himself and go get on the nice shiny plane." She takes Mokuba's hand and the two skip into the plane together, somehow getting up the steps.

Katsuya sweat drops, but the other two don't, somewhat used to Tama's completely random 'childish-antics attacks'. Seto does frown though and glances to Malik, conveying a message with his eyes.

'_She's getting worse.'_

Malik closes his eyes and looks away as he nods. _'I know.'_

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"I don't see why the hell you invited him!" Tama shouts angrily, violet coloring invading her lilac eyes.

Malik's eyes flash dangerously, his temper beginning to best him. "Because he's my friend! How fair is it that you get to invite the others, but I can't even invite one person without my head getting chewed off!" He yells back.

"If you have such a problem with the others going then you should have told about it sooner!"

"I don't have a problem with them! _Why do you have such a problem with Ryou_!"

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON OUT HERE!" Blue bellows.

Tama and Malik immediately fall silent, but continue to glare at one another.

Blue looks back and forth between the two of them, easily assessing what's going on. "Tama, up front. Malik, sit down." He says calmly, making everyone present shiver. A threatening, dangerous tone can be detected in his voice, which is one of the reasons why Kojiro hired him.

Tama shuffles up to the cockpit where Seto is driving and takes a seat in the co-pilot's seat. Seto ignores her, concentrating on getting everyone to the beach safely.

Meanwhile, Malik takes a seat away from everyone else in an effort to calm himself down. Closing his eyes, he tries his best to disperse the negative emotions he feels and slips into a meditative state.

Everyone else shifts uneasily and tries to avert their attention to something else. Like… clouds. Of course, it would help if there were clouds to look at.

Ryou looks particularly uneasy as he stares at the floor. _'If I had known that me being here would cause this much trouble I wouldn't have come. It was already a bad idea with all the blackouts I've been having. Not to mention when I don't remember entire days.'_

"Penny for your thoughts." Blue says kindly as he sits down beside Ryou. He chuckles when Ryou's head jerks up to face him. "Relax, I don't bite."

"I- I'm sorry for being such a bother." Ryou murmurs. "If I had known-"

"I'm glad you came. "Blue interrupts. "Malik's always had the most trouble making friends. Both him and Seto, actually. It's nice to see that Malik has a friend he cares a lot about. Especially since-" He cuts himself off. "Well, he just doesn't make friends easily. Malik and Seto have been like that ever since I met them, which was… six? Yes, a little over six years ago."

"So, whaddya do?" Katsuya questions, dropping into the conversation.

The others are watching Yugi and Mokuba duel for fun.

"I'm their bodyguard." Blue replies.

This clearly wasn't what Katsuya or Ryou were expecting, judging by the shocked looks on their faces.

"Sounds like they've got super overprotective parents." Katsuya jokes.

Blue chuckles. "It's just their dad. And he's got a pretty good reason for hiring me as a bodyguard. Number one, he needed someone to baby-sit them. Number two, I seriously needed the job. And the all important, magical number three, he's got quite a few enemies that wouldn't mind getting a hold of his kids."

"Man, what does this guy do to piss so many people off?" Katsuya wonders.

"Have you ever heard of the Muto Gaming Company?" Blue asks, his tone suggesting that the question is irrelevant and unimportant. His eyes state otherwise.

"Sure. It's a pretty big company and in the top three with Industrial Illusions and Kaiba Corporation." Katsuya says, either not noticing or altogether ignoring the surprised looks from his friends, who have paused in the middle of the game to listen.

"Does Mr. Muto work for that company?" Ryou asks.

For the third time that day, Blue chuckles. "Does he work for the company." He repeats. "Boys, and ladies," Blue nods his head at Anzu and Shizuka. "Mr. Kojiro Muto is the CEO of Muto Gaming Company. Actually, he's a lot more. He's the very _founder _of Muto Gaming Company. Shira and Kiba are what the higher ups call the 'true' heirs of the company, but Mr. Muto has made it quite clear that Mokie, Seto, and Malik also inherit the company.

Malik, who's been out of his meditative state long enough to know what they're talking about, sarcastically says, " It's ever-so-comforting to be reminded that we're worth millions just because of our relation to Uncle and the fact we're heirs. Thanks a bunch, Blue."

Blue smirks and salutes. "No problem at all. I'm just doing my job."

"And sometimes I hate you for it."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Man… check out this place." Katsuya says, peering out the window of the limousine they're now all in. "I've never seen this many trees in my entire life."

"See, this is the treatment you get when you've got a rich friend. Or friends in this case." Tama jokes. "And if you think this is cool, then you'll find the view by the house incredible."

"Who who's idea was it to have a white limo with blue decals and white and blue leather interior?" Honda asks, having walked around the car several times before they all piled in.

"Seto." Tama, Malik, and Mokuba say in unison. Even a muffled, "Seto." can be heard from up front where Blue is driving.

"He's got a slight obsession with the Blue-Eyes White Dragon." Malik explains.

"It's not an obsession." Seto mutters.

"Yeah, Seto calls it 'fascination'. We call him crazy." Malik adds.

"It's better than your absurd obsession with Tama's dragon of chaos." Seto shoots back.

"It's the Dragon of Chaotic Shadows (3), for your information." Malik tells him. "All together the three form the Dragon_s_ of Chaos."

"Enough about the dragons already!" Mokuba exclaims. "We didn't come here to argue about Duel Monsters, we came here to relax and have fun. And I don't know about you guys, but the first thing that I want to do is go swimming." He says.

"How far is the beach from where we're staying?" Anzu asks curiously.

Mokuba smiles secretively. "Oh, not far."

Katsuya groans. "That's the same thing you told us on the plane and it took hours just to get here. So tell me, what's your definition of 'not far'?"

"First, on the plane you asked 'how long' and I told you 'not long'. It's completely different from 'not far'." Mokuba says.

"Oh. Right."

The limo lapses into silence for a few minutes. Then Anzu catches sight of the house in the distance.

"Hey, look you guys! It that where we're going to be staying?"

The others peer out of the windows to get a glimpse of the house as they drive around a curve. They barely get a look at it before the road curves toward the house.

"It looked so little." Shizuka says. "Are we all really going to fit in it?"

Mokuba laughs. "Don't worry. It may look like a little log cabin, but there's plenty of space. Of course, most of us will have to double up for bedrooms, but that's not that bad."

"There are six rooms in the house." Malik informs them. "So all of us will have to double up. Blue will be the only one with a room of his own. And it would be best if we settled who's sleeping where now instead of later.

"Make sure the person you choose to room with is someone you get along with. It'll be hard to switch rooms around later." Mokuba chimes in. "I'm gonna share a room with Seto! Is that alright?" He asks.

Seto nods. "It's fine."

"I wanna bunk with Yugi!" Tama says suddenly. For most of the ride she has been silent, just staring out the window while answering Yugi and Shizuka's questions or comments now and then.

"It'll be fun!" Yugi agrees. "Just like when we were kids except this time without Disney movies and sleeping bags."

"Does this mean I get to play with your hair again?" Tama jokes.

Yugi laughs. "I hope you brought something to tame my hair first!"

They reach the house just a few minutes later and begin taking luggage out of the limo. Meanwhile, Blue unlocks the door and slides it open, mindful of the curtain hanging behind the glass. He steps inside and looks around to make sure it's safe and to check the place out. This is the first time he's actually been to the beach house.

After looking around, he heads back to the sliding glass door and removes the curtain so it's out of the way. Then he slides the door back open and walks outside to see if anyone needs any help.

"All safe?" Seto questions.

Blue nods with a cheerful smile. "Yup! Just be mindful of that rug in the living room. The corners are folded up a bit and I'd rather not have anyone trip over it." He winks at Tama, who turns red from embarrassment and mutters something along the lines of, "Just because I tripped over the rug that _one _time…"

"Try five." Mokuba corrects with a grin.

"In one day." Seto adds.

"I hate you both." Tama informs them, picking up her suitcase and bag. "C'mon, Yugi. Lets go pick our room out."

Tama walks into the house in the direction of the bedrooms with a giggling Yugi following her. It isn't long before they head a heavy thud and a loud curse. Tama has tripped over the rug.

"Should we go check on her?" Anzu asks.

At the same time, Ryou asks, "Will she be okay?"

"No and yes." Mokuba answers their questions.

"Tama's had more accidents than should be allowed and hasn't gotten hurt even once." Seto tells them. "Or more precisely, she has never had a broken bone or concussion. She's gotten plenty of bruises, cuts, scrapes, a few sprains, and a scar or two."

"That's actually kind of cool. I wouldn't mind having her luck." Katsuya comments. "Although I could do without the clumsiness."

"We all could."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Eventually the others pair up with their chosen roommate and go pick out what room they want. Yugi and Tama have claimed one of the attic rooms, which leaves one more attic room and four first floor rooms. There would be another room in the small basement, but it's being used for storage.

Malik and Ryou take the other attic room, Seto and Mokuba take a room in the back that has no windows, Katsuya and Honda choose the room down the hall from Seto and Mokuba's, Shizuka and Anzu take the room on the other side of the house, and blue takes the room closest to the front door.

For what little time they have left, they go out and explore the beach that's right on the property. They also find a large dock that has a roof on it. Hoisted up in the dock are three jetskii's and a pontoon boat.

"Man, this place is awesome!" Honda exclaims. "Where are we, anyway? I've never seen a beach like this before."

"It's a lake beach somewhere in England." Mokuba says dismissively. "Dad bought it one summer and had the house built. I think it's suppose to be our emergency house because it's really secluded out here."

"It makes the perfect summer house." Anzu says, using her hand to shield her eyes from the sun while she looks around. "It's really nice out here." She pauses and turns to face Mokuba. "Did you say _England_?"

Mokuba nods. "Yeah, that's why it took so long for us to get here. Although it wasn't really that long." He gives Seto a suspicious look. "Just how fast were we going, Seto?"

Seto turns away and mutters something.

The others watch in surprise as Mokuba starts yelling at Seto about airplane safety and how fast it is safe to go. Some of it he yells in English and a little in French. To everyone else's amusement, Seto just tunes his brother out before scooping him up and tossing him into the water.

The day ends with Tama and Katsuya kicking everyone out of the kitchen to cook dinner. Mokuba gets the job of standing guard. Dinner is served as the sun sets and after that they all head to bed, exhausted.

_**-F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S-**_

(1) Yeah, I don't really remember what the little cards that Seto and Mokuba are for in the series, although I do know that Seto's has a picture of Mokuba inside it. Basically, the cards for this story are used usually for security reasons and they each hold a different picture of a group family photo on one side and a picture of someone of their choosing on the other side.

(2) 'Shira' is Blue's nickname for Tama, if you couldn't tell. He always calls her that unless he's using her full name.

(3) I haven't mentioned anything from Tama's deck yet... this card carried over from DOTSL and COTLE as did it's two sibling cards. They are The Dragon of Chaotic Light, The Dragon of Chaotic Darkness, and The Dragon of Chaotic Shadows. I made them up. And although they're rare, they're not the most powerful cards ever when they're alone. (Less than the Red-Eyes, really.)

0-0-0-0

Shiro: Man... if you all think that this was a long chapter, wait until you see the next one. It really ran away with me.

Bast: Hey, we can blame Damian and his devil car for the length.

Shiro: Yeah! We can! laughs Now, I've got lots of typing to do for chapter 15. It's roughly... 10 sheets front and back on college ruled notebook paper. I'm guessing it'll be about 12 pages or so on the computer. Woo-hoo.

Damian: Oh sure, blame me and the damn car.

Shiro: Yup. I am. Nyaa! (sticks out tongue) Back to typing!

NEXT CHAPTER: _Waffles, road trip, and a station wagon._

**! NOTE !**

Unfortunently, there won't be any updates for a while until I can get myself to write again. It may be two weeks or more. There's not much to say about the matter except that a family member of mine passed away yesterday. I will be trying to write though, and I will finish all of the stories I'm working on eventually. I've put too much time and effort into working out story plans and coming up with idea's not to.

_Kishiro Kitsune_


	15. Chapter 15: A Trip to Remember

Shiro: Well, I'm back and ready to get some more writing done. I expect it will be a while before I update this story (next update may not be until the weekend after this one) as I'm going to try and concentrate on finishing 'the Chaos of First Meetings' and getting the next chapter of LAPOW done. Please bear with me while I try and catch up. In the meantime, here's a long chapter to tide you over.

Disclaimer: Saying I own Yugioh is like saying the world ended on June 6, 2006. It hasn't happened and it's not gonna happen. (Obviously, as it's way past that date)

Warning: Hmm... small warning for this chapter. There's quite a bit of cursing in this one because of a certain three yami's and Damian and his 'devil car from Hell' as it has been affectionatly named.

_**-F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S-**_

_Chapter 15_

Anzu awakens late the next morning and nearly panics when she forgets where she's at.. After calming herself down, she slips out of the bed, being careful not to disturb Shizuka who is still asleep.

Making sure to be as quiet as possible, Anzu picks out her clothes for the day and ventures to the bathroom to get dressed. She emerges from the room dressed in a baby blue tank top and a pair of jean shorts.

After depositing her nightgown in her shared bedroom she makes her way to the kitchen, her mind still foggy enough that she's not really thinking or feeling anything in particular except for how sleepy she is. Walking into the kitchen she breaths in the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and the haze around her mind begins to lift.

"Good morning, Anzu." Yugi greets from the kitchen table where he's stirring what looks like pancake mix. Somehow, some of it has gotten on his clothes and in his hair. "Did you sleep well?"

Anzu smiles, her heart warming at the simple question. Yugi cares so much for his friends. "Just fine. Although Shizuka did roll over and hug me for part of the night."

Yugi giggles.

"I hope everyone's hungry!" Tama says as she bustles into the kitchen with Malik and Mokuba in tow. "We're havin' waffles!"

"And from the looks of things, we're making enough to feed a small army." Malik says, taking note of the two bowls by Yugi full of waffle batter, the bowl of fruit setting on the counter, and the various syrups.

"We are a small army, Malik." Mokuba jokes. "I'll eat at least two and a half waffles, Tama will eat two, Seto will eat one and three quarters, Jounouchi an probably eat about three, Honda might be able to handle two, Ryou can probably eat two, and everyone else will probably just have one." He says. "Altogether that's like feeding around… sixteen or seventeen people instead of ten."

Yugi looks at Mokuba in confusion. "Just how big are these waffles? And you forgot about your bodyguard."

It's at this time that Tama drags a Belgian waffle maker out of a low cabinent and Yugi sees just how big the waffles will be.

"Adding in Blue it's like feeding… nineteen or twenty people." Mokuba estimates. "Blue eats about the same as Joey. Maybe more." He explains.

Blue shuffles into the kitchen just seconds after Mokuba says that. "I heard my name and smell the heavenly aroma of coffee… come to me, my precious." With that said he shuffles over to the table and sits down beside Yugi, letting his head fall with an audible 'thunk' onto the table.

Anzu and Yugi both look at him worriedly.

"Is he alright?" Anzu wonders if Blue's really cut out for being a bodyguard.

"He's fine." Tama says, walking over to the table to retrieve one of the bowls. "Blue has low blood pressure, so he has a hard time waking up. Just be careful because he subconsciously defends and attacks. Isn't that right, Blue?"

"Mmm…" Blue mumbles in reply.

While Tama heads back over to the waffle maker, Malik prepares a cup of coffee for Blue and sets it on the table beside the young man. Then he goes over to the coffee pot to make a cup for anyone else who wants one. One of those people is Seto.

Seto shuffles into the kitchen with his hair in complete disarray. It doesn't even look like he's changed out of his bed clothes yet, as he's wearing an old gray shirt and a pair of sweatpants. "Coffee." He grunts.

Malik wordlessly hands his cousin a cup of black coffee that he only put a single spoonful of sugar in.

Seto takes a sip as he sinks down into a chair at the small table across from Yugi and breaths a sigh of relief as he feels his head begin to clear.

Within the next fifteen minutes everyone else begins to wake up and make their way to the kitchen, the scent of waffles and coffee too strong and tempting to ignore. It's in this fifteen minutes that they discover that Ryou and Serenity are not morning people. (1) At least, not while they have jetlag.

The others try not to annoy the two with their cheerfulness as they really don't want to know how they'll act when provoked. Joey has told them enough stories about Shizuka snapping at him, and from the sound of it, an angry Shizuka is a very scary thing.

After they've eaten breakfast and cleaned up the dishes, everyone is completely awake and Shizuka and Ryou are back to their normal polite, sweet selves.

Their next activity for the day? While they could stay inside and unpack, the group makes a unanimous decision to go swimming. Until they take a good look at a map of the lake, they've decided not to go out on the boat or the jet ski's.

Around noon Tama and Malik go back to the house ahead of time to start on lunch. Ryou follows a few minutes later, feeling a little out of place without Malik there.

With no one else around, the Darknesses within the three Lights are able to come out without any problems.

Inside the house in the kitchen, Tama and Malik are cracking jokes and laughing while getting out everything they need to make sandwiches. That is, until Bakura leans against the kitchen doorway with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Well look at the two domesticated housewives." He chuckles as if he just made a funny joke.

The reactions are instantaneous. Malik's eyes darken to a bottomless purple and his hair spikes up wildly. Tama's eyes change to a deep crimson-purple color and her lightning bolt shaped bangs go from sandy blonde to pitch black.

"Tomb robber." Yumeri hisses, narrowing her eyes in distaste. "What are you doing here?"

Mariku crosses his arms over his chest, almost mirroring the thiefs stance. "And I thought we agreed not to reveal ourselves to our lighter halves. Or have you had a change of heart?"

Bakura smirks. "I was _testing _you, shrine guardian."

Mariku stiffens at the mention of his old title.

Yumeri steps away from her fellow spirits, not trusting either of them at all. Although she can't help but direct a comment to Mariku.

"It's a pity you gave up your title and became a common thief. You missed your chance at becoming the keeper of the Millennium Rod."

Mariku smirks. "Yes, well I got it in the end now didn't I?" Calling upon his control of the Shadows, he summons the Millennium Rod to his hands.

Yumeri growls. "You bastard! That belongs to Seth!"

Deciding it'll be more fun to pick on Yumeri than Mariku, Bakura joins in on the fun. "You mean your lover?" He bites back a grimace at the very thought and ignores the prick of pain in his heart.

"He's my cousin you sick bastard." Yumeri hisses.

"That didn't stop you from becoming engaged to that damn pharaoh!" Bakura shoots back angrily.

"You think I _wanted _to marry my own cousin! You think I even had a _choice _in the matter! Why the _hell _do you think I fucking snuck out of the damn palace whenever I could!" Yumeri angrily yells. "Don't guess about shit you know nothing about!"

Mariku stands back and watches the two fight like an old, very strange married couple, highly amused by both of them. His inner self squeals when the two step so close to one another that they're yelling in each others face._ 'Now if we can just get Yumeri to remember everything. Then they can go back to arguing about stupid pointless things again!' _He thinks giddily. "This is going to be _so _much fun!" Mariku squeals.

Yumeri and Bakura stop their arguing to stare at Mariku with raised eyebrows.

"I don't want to know." Bakura mutters to himself. "The last time I asked, we ending up drunk in a barn and talking to a male camel the idiot named Sanura.(2)"

Yumeri sweat drops while Mariku grins and says, "I remember that! That was also the night I dared you to steal something random and useless from Isis's closet while she was getting dressed."

Bakura glares at his old partner. "Well that explains why I woke up with bruises and small rocks stuck in my hair."

Yumeri can't help but laugh at the mental image of the 'Great Thief King Bakura' being beaten up by Priestess Isis.

"It's not funny." Bakura mutters. "That woman was fucking insane. Thank Ra she's dead and gone."

Mariku smirks. "Actually, she's quite alive and still here."

Bakura twitches and Yumeri finds herself wanting to giggle. She ignores the feeling, forcefully pushing it away.

"My beloved hikari has an older sister who looks just like my dear older sister. And guess what her name is!"

"Isis." Bakura says dispassionately.

"And guess who she's the reincarnation of!"

"Isis."

"And you wanna know what else?"

"We're screwed."

Mariku blinks. "Well, I was gonna say that she's still in Egypt, but that works too!"

They hear the door slide open and then shut and fall silent. Yumeri walks back over to the counter and Bakura backs up to the doorway.

"Tama! Malik! The others are coming in and Jounouchi says he wants more than three sandwiches! I hope we have enough bread!"

As soon as they heard Mokuba yelling for Tama and Malik, all three yami's automatically gave control back to their hikari's. Now there are three very confused hikari's standing in the kitchen, wondering where the time went. Malik also wonders when he picked up the Millennium Rod and how he got it when he doesn't even remember taking it out of his suitcase.

Mokuba bounces into the kitchen with a bright smile on his face. When he notices that no sandwiches have been made a surprised look comes onto his face. "Guys, where are the sandwiches?"

Hiding their fear, Malik and Tama quickly make up a rather feeble excuse while Ryou slips out of the room unnoticed.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Damian twitches as Ashling sighs heavily for the fifth time in the past ten minutes. Not that he's been counting or anything…

"Come off it Ash!" Liam suddenly exclaims, banging a fist onto the Pizza Hut table. "So what if Holly's living in Alaska now and you won't be able to see her for a few years! That's no reason for you to be depressed and not have fun all summer!"

Damian glances around the mostly empty Pizza Hut before focusing on the annoyed twin. "Chill, Li. Unless you'd like for us to get kicked out and then be chewed out by Lexus."

Liam mutters something under his breath about crazy pink-loving psycho's.

"Well _that's _friendly."

Ashling snaps out of her daze to look up at the newcomer. The sight she sees is a normal one of a boy with really long turquoise and light blue hair hugging Damian, who's trying his best to escape. She laughs. Nobody can stay depressed for long when Nixxus Lexus is your friend and in the same room as you.

"You actually made it." Liam comments, snickering as Damian gives up trying to escape from Nixx's grasp. "Roman actually drove you out here?"

Nixx shakes his head. "Actually, Alex drove me."

Roman and 'Alex' are Nixx's older brothers who are fraternal twins. Roman has black hair and is jokingly called "the evil twin" and Alexandrian has brown hair and is "the less-evil twin".

Nixx lets go of Damian, which makes the older boy sigh with relief, and takes a seat beside Ashling. "So what's on our agenda for today and who's driving what car?"

"We're going to eat here, go watch 'Pirate of the Caribbean two' again, go grab a milkshake at Hardee's, and then go home. I'm driving and I've got the Pearl." Liam says.

"So it's the usual activities with the added risk of stalling out at stoplights on the way home." Nixx says cheerfully. "Sounds fun."

"Hey, I've gotten better at driving the Mazda! I only stalled out once this week!" Liam protests. "And that was because I slammed on the brakes because there were some guinea chickens in the road and didn't even think about the clutch."

Ashling laughs. "Yeah! That's my twin, the humanitarian who brakes for chickens but chases ducks with the jet ski's and the boat!"

Nixx and Damian laugh, knowing this to be completely true and totally like Liam. Liam just grins.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Later that evening about an hour after the twins get home after dropping off Nixx and Damian and while Ashling is taking a shower, the phone rings.

"Liam! It's for you!" Cheyenne Phoenix, Liam and Ashling's younger sister yells. "It's the purple freak and gay boy!"

Liam scowls at the names Cheyenne refers to his friends by and then smirks when he hears his mom chastising her. He picks up the phone by the computer and runs through his customary greeting. "Hello, Pig Farms and Tai Qwan DoDo's Incorporated, this is the president speaking."

"Hello, Mr. President!" Nixx greets cheerfully. "Is your better half around?"

Liam rolls his eyes. "Nope. Want me to get here?"

"Naw, that would ruin our grand master plan." Damian says. "See, me and Nixx came up with a plan that might cheer up Ashling. We were wonderin' if you wanna help."

"Say yes, say yes!" Nixx chants loudly.

Liam winces and rubs his ear. "Not so loud, Nixx. And who gave you candy?"

"Ally!" Nixx says cheerfully.

On his end of the phone, Damian snorts. Liam merely raises an eyebrow.

"Nixx, one of these days Alexandrian is going to find out about the twenty-billion nicknames that you've come up with using his name. And then he's going to kill you." Liam says. "And yes, I'll help you with the plan. Anything to get Ash back to her normal self."

"Great! See, I figure we can 'kidnap' Ash early one morning, shove her in my old station wagon and go on a road trip!" Damian exclaims.

Liam's silent for a moment. "Kidnap her." He repeats.

"Yup! Oh, and of course you'll have to pack her stuff beforehand 'cause we can't tell her." Damian says. "But that shouldn't be too hard."

"Oh no, not at all." Liam says sarcastically. "Come off it, Damian. There's no way that Ash won't notice if some of her clothes go missing. And there's no way on Earth that I'm going to go through sis's underwear drawer."

"Doesn't Ash wear your underwear?" Nixx asks.

Liam grits his teeth. "Nixx. Shut up."

"Does she really?" Damian questions, sounding intrigued.

Liam sighs, knowing he's going to have to explain this one or else risk Damian questioning Ashling. "Yeah. She steals the underwear I get for Christmas almost every year. So they are clean, Damian Cerberus Mizu."

"What?" Damian says innocently. "I wasn't thinking anything about letting Ash wear mine."

"Yeah right." Liam and Nixx say unanimously.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**July 22, 2006: Morning- Phoenix Residence**

A digital clock sitting innocently on a bedside table reads 5:59. Suddenly, it changes to 6:00.

The door to Ashling and Liam's bedroom suddenly slams open, scaring it's two occupants half to death. A masked figure with purple hair drags the twins out of bed and rushes them out to the old station wagon in the driveway. Meanwhile, a masked figure with turquoise and blue hair gathers up the CD's in the room, along with a few of Ashling's notebooks, a large book to read out loud, and some pencils. Then he hurries out to the old station wagon.

Mr. Phoenix watches as the station wagon takes off, kicking up gravel as it goes. Shaking his head and putting out his cigarette, he wonders if it was really wise to let his son and daughter go on a road trip with the two crazy boys. Deciding there wasn't much he could do, Mr. Phoenix heads back inside to watch TV.

The clock reads 6:01.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Damian Cerberus Mizu, Nixxus Gene Lexus, and William Joseph Phoenix! (3) I can't believe you three! What the hell possessed you to drag me out of bed at _six _in the _morning _on a _weekend _during _summer vacation _and shove me into the backseat of this accursed vehicle!"

To say Ashling is pissed would be an understatement.

Damian keeps on driving while Nixx tries to find the perfect rock CD that Ashling can sing along to and possibly calm down by. Poor Liam is stuck trying to explain why they got her up so early.

"-and furthermore I-"

"Ash."

"-what went through your minds-"

"Ashling."

"-that I would want to be stuck in a--"

"ASHLING!" Liam bellows.

Ashling stops yelling and looks at her twin. "What?" She snaps irritably.

"We've been really worried about you because you've been completely out of it since Holly moved." Liam says. "Then Damian and Nixx brainstormed and came up with this idea for us to go on a road trip. And you know where we're going first?" He grins when Ashling shakes her head negatively. "Hershey, Pennsylvania!"

Ashling laughs, her anger dissipated instantly by that proclamation. "Is it really wise to take Nixx to a place that makes the most delicious chocolate in the world?"

"Hey, I can control myself! I have great self-control!" Nixx exclaims.

"Lexus, you have horrible self-control." Damian says. "Does the chocolate cake incident ring a bell?"

"That was just that one time." Nixx says defensively. "And you wouldn't feed me."

"How about the chocolate soup incident." Liam teases. "Or the giant Hershey kiss fiasco?"

Ashling joins in on the fun. "And remember the chocolate fondue mess? And when you ate all my chocolate ice cream when I asked you to put it away? Which, by the way, you still owe me for."

Nixx huffs and crosses his arms over his chest. "Some friends you all are. Just for that, we're listening to the Spice Girls!"

Everyone else in the station wagon laughs as Nixx puts in his Spice Girl's CD. For the next half hour or so, they sing along to the music. All of them.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Many pit stops and a day or two later the four are in New York and heading to the original destination the boys chose; a little town in upstate New York called Jordan.

An hour or two after crossing the state line, while they're singing along to Good Charlotte, Ashling spots a sign that has a familiar name on it.

"Liam, are we going where I think we're going?" She asks over Nixx and Damian's loud, enthusiastic singing.

Liam grins. "Depends on where you think we're going."

"Hmm…" Ashling pretends to think. "We're in New York, we just passed a sign that had 'Auburn' on it, and the place we're going is suppose to cheer me up. I know!" She snaps her finger. "We're going to Niagara Falls!" She jokes.

Up front Nixx stops singing and thoughtfully says, "You know, I've always wanted to see Niagara Falls."

"No. No more detours." Damian groans. "I'm sick of driving and this old gal wouldn't be able to handle the extra miles."

"It's not like she's gonna break down in the middle of the road." Nixx scoffs. "And anyway, we're in New York! Why can't we go? I wanna make Lexi' and Ro' jealous! Please? Pretty please with sugar and chocolate and caramel and whipped cream on top?" He begs.

In the back, Liam whispers to Ashling, "That sounds like something that would be in one of Nixx's fantasy's - Damian covered in sweets."

Ashling can't help but crack up laughing right alongside her brother.

"What's so funny back there?" Damian asks.

At the sound of Damian's voice, the two laugh even harder. So hard that tears come to their eyes. They both soon begin running out of air and have to force themselves to calm down.

"Are you two done yet?" Damian asks, slightly amused and rather curious to know what they're laughing at. "And what are you two laughing about anyway?"

The twins exchange a look before they once again crack up laughing. Ashling tries to convey what they're laughing about, but fails miserably.

"You… sweets… Nixx… covered…" She chokes out.

Nixx and Damian sweat drop.

Liam's the first to calm down from the third bout of laughter and says, "You don't want to know."

"I'll take your word for it." Damian says, before directing the conversation back to Niagara Falls. "And I told you, Lexus. The Wagon won't be able to make it. I'm pushing it as it is with this lengthy trip."

"And I say she can make it." Nixx says stubbornly. "Come on Damian, the chances of the car breaking down in the middle of the road is like, one out of a million! It's not gonna happen!"

The engine makes a weird hissing sound and some smoke comes from under the hood and then one of the tires blows out.

Damian glares at Nixx as he eases the car to a stop off of the road and almost into a ditch. "You were saying?"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

An hour passes and they're still stuck on the side of the road. The spare tire has been put on already. The only problem is the engine.

Currently, Ashling's laying on the roof of the car writing about their misfortune in the 'travel log' Nixx put together, Damian's working on the engine trying to find out what's wrong, Nixx is looking for fish in the ditch that actually does have water in it, and Liam's helping Damian the best he can."

Ashling finishes writing in the journal and shoves it though the open window in the back. The she rolls over onto her back and looks up at the sky. "Looks like rain." She comments, noticing the storm clouds hovering ominously above them.

"Great. Could things get any worse?" Damian mutters.

Ashling wisely climbs off the roof and rolls up all the windows in the station wagon while muttering, "No way I'm taking any chances."

Overhead, lightning streaks across the sky and thunder booms loudly. As the downpour hits, Liam yells, "Does that answer your question!"

A truck zooms by, drenching Ashling with water. Sputtering, the blonde kicks water after the truck. "F- you, jerk!" She yells. "Frickin' Georgians…" She mutters, having noticed the license plate.

"Did ya get the number of that truck?" Damian jokes as Ashling approaches.

"Hardy har har." Ashling responds sarcastically. "You'd better get this hunk of metal fixed soon. I'm wet and hungry and am about to fish Nixx out of the damn ditch. Nixxuss Lexus! Get out of that ditch!" She marches off to get her friend.

Liam and Damian sweat drop.

"So much for cheering her up." Damian says, turning his attention back to the engine. He messes with a few more things and then backs up. "Alright, go start her up."

Liam hurriedly gets into the station wagon and turns the key in the ignition. To everyone's relief the car starts and begins running smoothly with no problems. Ashling and Nixx even make up a cheer and dance to celebrate.

And then smoke issues from something under the hood and Damian yelps. "Turn it off! Turn it off! The Wagon's on fire!"

Liam cuts off the engine while muttering, "It's _raining_. How could the engine _possibly _be on fire?"

Nixx and Ashling climb out of the ditch and wander over to where Damian is beginning to panic over the state of the car. Liam gets back out of the vehicle and joins them. It's still raining, albeit lighter than before.

"Looks like the radiator has a hole or something." Liam says, gesturing to the still smoking part. "Where's an egg when you need it?"

"This is no time to think about _food_!" Damian exclaims. "It's smoking! Why won't it stop smoking!"

As if by magic, the radiator stops smoking and Damian breaths a sigh of relief.

"An egg in the radiator will block up the hole." Ashling tells Damian. "We saw it on MythBusters (4) one time and it seemed to work pretty well. It's just a momentary fix though and I doubt people who know a lot about car engines and stuff would recommend doing that."

"But where are we going to find an egg!" Damian flails his arms. "We're in the middle of nowhere in the middle of a storm and the only other car that's gone by was that damn truck!"

"Look, a car!" Nixx suddenly yells, pointing to the headlights coming down the road. "Quick! Put on the emergency light thingy's! Maybe they'll stop!"

Liam once again runs over and jumps into the drivers side of the Wagon, this time to put on the 'emergency light thing's'. Meanwhile, Ash goes to stand on the side of the road and tries to flag down the car.

To everyone's relief the car slows down and the passenger side's window rolls down.

"Looks like you're having some car trouble." The guy driving says.

Ashling scratches the back of her head. "Yeah, just a little."

"A little!" Damian has yet to finish panicking. "Ash, the car was smoking! _Smoking_!"

"Ash?" A girl's voice says questioningly from inside the car. A girl with wavy brown hair and glasses leans forward from the backseat to see who they've stopped to help.

Ashling's jaw drops. "_Nicole_?"

Nicole looks at Ashling in shock. "Ashling? But how-? What are you doing here? Where's Liam? Who are they? Does Riley know you're here? How--"

Someone else in the back of the truck hits Nicole lightly in the head. "Jeez, Nicky. Let Ashling talk." A second girl with long brown hair comes into view. "Hey."

Ashling laughs, a little relieved that the people in the car are actually people she and Liam know. "Hi Harley." She turns to face the guys. "Hey Liam! It's the Coon's!"

Liam nearly falls out of the car after opening the door. "You're _kidding_!"

"No kidding." Ashling says, turning back around to face her old friends. "Think you guys can help us? All we need is an egg or something more proper to fix the radiator and then we can be on our way to Riley's."

Harley nearly laughs. "Ashling, Riley's house is right up the road."

Ashling blinks and looks up the road, staring in shock when she sees the Poplar's two-story blue-gray house. "Well I'll be… it is." She turns and glares at Damian. "Why didn't you tell me we were already in Jordan!"

Damian shrugs. "Wanted to surprise you?"

Ashling smacks her forehead with the palm of her hand. "Right. Forgot."

Ten minutes later the three guys find themselves pushing the station wagon up the road to the Poplar family's house. Ashling sits in the drivers seat, keeping the car on the road.

At least the rain has stopped.

Twenty minutes later they've finally gotten the park parked in the driveway and are standing on the small front porch. Ashling rings the doorbell as she says, "I hope they have room for us."

"Don't worry. I called Mr. And Mrs. Poplar a few days before we left on the trip. They know we're coming, but Riley and Max don't." Liam assures his twin.

The door opens and the four of then look at who it is who's opening the door.

Damian's breath catches in his throat at the sight of the girl standing at the door. His brain takes in as much information as it can in the few seconds he stares. _'Ashling's height, dark blonde hair, hazel eyes… pretty eyes... I want to hear her voice. I wonder if it's as pretty as she is.'_

"Hello?" She asks uncertainly.

'_There is a god! And he likes me!' _Damian thinks giddily. _'She's perfect.'_

"Hey Riley." Ashling says. "You probably don't recognize us since we're soaking wet at the moment. 'Tis us! The Phoenix family dynamic duo! Oh, and our friends who are the cause of this mess."

"We are not!" Damian and Nixx protest immediately.

Liam raises an eyebrow. "Really? Who were the ones that came up with this whole plan? Who were the ones who said, 'the chances of braking down are one in a million. It's not gonna happen' and in reference to the storm clouds, 'could things get any worse?'. Which they did. It rained. Heavily."

"Stop blaming Damian for the weather." Ashling says with a sigh before she looks back at Riley. "Any chances of us coming in? Riley? Riiii-leeeeey?"

Riley jumps, having been studying Damian, who's now arguing with Liam. "O-oh! Sure. Come on in, all of you. Let me get you some towels."

The four step into the house and are immediately hit by a blast of cold air. Riley rushes off to fetch the towels, leaving them to close the door.

"Well," Nixx cheerfully begins. "at least things can't--"

Ashling slaps her hand over Nixx's mouth at the same time as Damian and Liam hit him on the head. They all have a bit of a hard time reaching though.

"Say it and die, Lexus!" Damian hisses. "We do not need another disaster. My car's already soaking wet and has more problems than before."

"The wet part is really your fault." Ashling points out. Then she wrinkles her nose when Nixx licks her hand. She quickly removes her hand so it won't happen again and wipes her hand off on her soaking wet jeans. "Was that entirely necessary, Nixx?"

Nixx grins almost evilly. "You bet! Although you taste horrible."

"Dweeb." Ashling says. "And I probably taste like rain water and grass."

"Whatever it is, you taste bad." Nixx says.

"You've got to be kidding me!" A voice says loudly.

The four wet teens look up the stairs to see a boy with brown hair leaning against the rail looking down at them.

"Nice to see you too, Max." Liam says.

Max practically dashes down the stairs, questioning them as he goes. "How did you get here? Why are you here? Why are you all wet? Who are they? How-" He cuts himself off when he notices Liam and Ashling trying not to laugh. "What's so funny?"

"Nicole went off into a question spaz too. We promised to answer questions later when we're all together." Ashling says. "As for the two color-obsessed idiots, that's Damian," She points to him. "and that's Nixx."

Riley bustles into the area with an armload of towels. "I'm sorry it took so long." She apologizes. "I had a little trouble finding these." She hands out the towels but still have a few left. "You can use these for your car. I overheard that it got a little wet inside."

Damian smiles appreciatively. "Thanks. The twins here did get it a little wet."

"And I'm sure it's all our fault Mr. 'let Ash steer and Liam try to turn on the car'." Liam says.

"Maybe we shouldn't listen to him anymore. Afterall, he did think the car was on fire." Ashling says thoughtfully.

"In the rain." Nixx adds.

All of them have to stifle laughter as Damian dramatically drops to his knees and proclaims, "Please forgive this lowly Damian for losing his head in time of a crisis! Allow me to bow and kiss the feet of the ones who didn't go crazy in the middle of a downpour when the radiator busted and started smoking! Oh woe is me!" He dramatically mock-faints at the end and that proves to be the cracking point for everyone else, as they all double over laughing.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

A few days later, after visiting Niagara Falls and New York City, the four travelers are preparing to head back to Virginia. This time, Riley is going with them. The twins have tried several times to get Max to come with them as well, but he has things to do.

This time it only takes them twelve hours to get from New York to Virginia. The only reason it takes that long is because Nixx likes lots of pit stops and the Wagon's guzzling gas at an abnormal rate, ran out of oil, and got yet another flat tire.

By the time it putters down the gravel road and then the Phoenix family's driveway, Damian is convinced that his poor car has seen the last of it's days, Riley is convinced that Damian is quite possibly the craziest person she has ever met, Ashling and Nixx are in hysterics because they've had too much sugar and too little sleep, and Liam's just relieved to have gotten back without any major problems.

Before Damian has a chance to break down into hysterics and start crying, Liam leads him away from the station wagon. "We'll work on the Wagon tomorrow and see if she's salvageable. If it's not, I'll write one of those, umm… odes? No." He thinks for a moment. "Eulogy? Hmm… damn, if Ash were actually sane at the moment then I could ask her what it's called. Anyway, help me get her and Nixx inside. You and him are both staying the night."

"It'll be a mess trying to find a place for us to sleep." Damian warns.

"Nonsense." Liam waves his hand as if brushing away the thought. "You and Nixx can crash with Ash like always, Riley can have the top bunk, and I'll take the old recliner."

Damian looks like he's about to protest, but decides against doing so when he sees Ashling and Nixx dancing around singing the hokey pokey. "Fine. I'll keep the sugar children under control."

Liam grins. "We're going to have a very happy Nixx in the morning."

Damian twitches. "Shut up, Liam."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

For the rest of July and on into the second week of August, the twins and Damian show Riley around the small town they live him. They also introduce her to the rest of their friends; Kaylie Good and Roman and Alexandrian Lexus.

During the first two days they, meaning Ashling, Liam, Damian, and Riley, hang out at the Phoenix house and goof off down by the river with music cranked up and they tell crazy stories. After that the days become filled with random trips. They go bowling a few times and meet their friends there, take many trips to Wal-Mart, go to the mall once, go to the fair one night, and make several trips to Ashling and Liam's grandparent's lake house. One day they make a trip to Greensboro, North Carolina to go to Wet 'n Wild. Everyone goes that day, including some of Ashling and Liam's family members.

Then comes time to take Riley back to New York. With Damian's old station wagon proclaimed safe to drive (and fixed), they decide to use that car to end the trip that started in it. Nixx insists on coming along for the ride and since none of them have ever been able to deny him something he has his heart set on, they let him come along for the ride.

They make it to New York in a record time of nine and a half hours and only one flat tire. They spend the night at the Poplar's house and leave the next morning. (without Riley, of course)

Damian, not at all worried about the car, doesn't look it over that morning, figuring it's still okay. Which is why, barely an hour into the drive, they're pulled over to the side of the road trying to figure out what went wrong this time.

After a half hour of tinkering with things under the hood, making sure to check the oil and the radiator, and then making sure they have gas, Damian and Liam get the car running again.

They all cheer and pile back into the Wagon, eager to get going again.

Things go well for about an hour or so longer. Then they have to stop at a stoplight, singing along to Hoobastank, when the inevitable happens.

The car stalls.

"Ra damn it!" Damian roars.

The light turns green.

"Ra forsaken piece of crap!" Damian yells, trying to get the car started. "Work, damn it!"

The cars behind them begin honking, so Damian yells out the window, "I'm doing the best I can! Go around me you morons!" Cursing all of the deities he can think of, Damian turns his attention back to trying to get the station wagon to start. "C'mon, c'mon…" He mutters, turning the key.

"Think we should tell him to try sweet talk?" Ashling jokes to Liam.

"Uh oh… here comes trouble." Nixx says.

The others look out the window to see what Nixx is talking about.

The chaos that has been caused by the station wagon stalling out has attracted the attention of the local sheriff, who's coming over to see what's going on.

Nixx quickly turns the knob on the radio down, so that when they do get the car running, they won't blast away the nice officer.

"Is there a problem here?" The sheriff asks once he's by the window. "Because it appears to me that you're holding people up."

"I'm sorry, sir." Damian replies politely, keeping his tone calm. "My car's pretty old and she stalled when he came to a stop and won't cut back on."

"Well I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to push your vehicle over to the side of the road so the other people can get past." The sheriff says. "And for good measure, I need to check your license and registration."

Resisting the urge to bang his head against the steering wheel multiple times, Damian nods. "Yes sir." He pulls his wallet out of his back pocket and he tells Nixx to get the registration papers out of the glove compartment.

Nixx does so, and hands them over to Damian, who hands them and his license to the sheriff, who looks them over and hands them back.

"Everything seems fine with that. Now just push your car to the side of the road and I'll call a tow truck to come and get it." He says.

"Sir, not to be rude or anything, but we really don't have the time to have it towed and fixed. Nor do we have the money. And we're suppose to get back to Virginia by tonight because he has a dentists appointment tomorrow," Damian gestures to Nixx, "and she has an orthodontist appointment." He gestures to Ashling. "You don't mind if I try and get it to start again, do you?" He asks pleadingly.

The sheriff agrees to let him try and start it up and to everyone in the Wagon's relief, it starts up with a steady purr. They all resist the urge to cheer triumphantly, although Damian can't help but mutter, "Finally."

Bidding the nice sheriff goodbye after gaining his permission to leave, they hit the road once again. This time with no problems, much to their immense relief.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**England- August 11, 2006**

"Alright, that's it!" Mokuba exclaims, fed up with the tension in the room because of Tama and Ryou.

After the day Mariku, Bakura, and Yumeri came out there have been other incidents. Despite the three yami's best attempts at hiding themselves from everyone, especially their hikari's, their feeling leek into their lights which has resulted in several early morning arguments between Ryou and Tama. After each of these arguments Tama, Ryou, and Malik's recollection of them is hazy at best.

"What is it?" Tama asks.

Mokuba stands up and points an accusatory finger at Tama and then Ryou. "You two! You're both driving me insane! All of the stupid morning arguments, the avoiding one another, the fact that we have to practically force you two to be in the same room as one another. The tension's so thick I could cut it with a knife!" He exclaims. "And I'm _tired _of it! I want you two to go for a walk on the beach and sort this… this.. Whatever it is, out! And don't come back in until you've worked things out!"

Seto and Malik agree with him, soon followed by everyone else but the two causing the tension.

"Fine. If it'll make you all happy." Tama mutters as she stands up. "But it's just since we have no choice or else you lot will think up something bloody horrible."

Less than ten minutes later the two teens are walking along the beach in silence. Neither of them even know how to begin, for neither of them even know why they act the way they do around one another. It's unexplainable to them, but they can't tell the others that.

"Now this feels familiar." Bakura suddenly says.

Yumeri whirls around to face the white-haired thief. "Really?" She practically snaps. "Care to enlighten me? Or does this involve one of your nightly 'lets kill the pharaoh' plottings?"

Bakura doesn't answer. He just looks out at the dark water and then up at the starry sky.

Yumeri crosses her arms over her chest and looks away. When Bakura remains silent, Yumeri finds herself looking over at him, studying him intently to figure out what he's up to.

An old memory floats to the top of her mind; an old memory of Egypt at night near an oasis in the desert. A young man stands atop a sand dune, looking up at the starry sky, his white hair providing a stark contrast against the blackness of night. The red cloak he wears rustles as he turns around. A scar runs across the right side of his face, light against his dark skin. He speaks something that Yumeri can't decipher.

Pain erupts in Yumeri's head as the memory ends and she stumbles backwards from the pain, nearly falling over if it weren't for the warm arms that wrap around her waist.

Yumeri closes her eyes, waiting for the pain to dull to a light throb instead of a sharp intense pain. When she opens them, she looks up at her savior. "Bakura?"

Bakura smirks as he picks her up. "The one and only!"

"Put me down _now_, tomb robber!" She orders.

Bakura just keeps smirking as he walks out into the water. "Do you _really _want me to put you down?"

Not paying attention to where they're at, Yumeri growls, "Yes. Put me down. _Now_."

"Okay." Bakura nonchalantly drops her into the water. His smirk growls wider as Yumeri comes up sputtering and cursing.

"You bastard!" Yumeri shrieks, hitting Bakura in the chest. "I didn't mean for you to drop me in the damn water! I can't believe how inconsiderate you are! Actually, I take that back. I can believe you would be that inconsiderate." She continues ranting.

Bakura grits his teeth_. 'Damn it, I forgot about her damn ranting when it comes to shit like this. That's not something I've missed. Now how do I get her to _stop _ranting…'_ He thinks for a minute, tuning out Yumeri's yelling. _'Ah yes, that will work.'_

"And furthermore, I- Mmph!" Yumeri's forced to stop ranting when she feels Bakura's lips on her own. Her heart hums, overriding her protesting mind, and she kisses Bakura back. A strangely familiar warmth courses through her body, making her feel lightheaded.

Needing air, the two break the kiss and stand there looking at one another, taken away to a time in the past by the familiarity of the moment.

Then Yumeri's mind breaks free of her hearts hold and she gasps and runs off down the beach, giving control back to Tama in the process.

Bakura curses loudly and abruptly retreats, leaving a slightly dizzy Ryou in his wake.

The two horribly confused hikari's meet back up, both shaken and wondering what happened and why they don't remember how they both got wet. The two sit down on the beach a with about a foot between them and just talk for a few minutes.

"I… I don't think it's a good idea for us to be alone together." Tama says hesitantly. "Every time it happens, something happens and the tension it… it gets worse. And it scares me. From now on we need to have someone else around us. It never happens when the others are around."

Ryou nods in agreement. "That would be a good idea. And… maybe it'd help if we tried to stay away from one another."

Tama nods, wondering why she has to hold back tears._ 'It's a good idea. So why am I crying?'_

Ryou stands up and holds a hand out to help Tama up. With a soft smile, Tama takes his hand and stands up.

"Shall we go in?" She asks lightly.

Ryou nods and together the two walk inside, both of them wondering why they're so sad and why their heart hurts.

_**-F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S-**_

(1) Imagine sweet innocent Ryou not being a morning person. Scary and funny at the same time!

(2) Sanura is an Egyptian name that means 'kitten. So Mariku basically named the camel 'kitten'.

(3) William is Liam's full name, but everyone's always called him 'Liam' and eventually he got his parents to legally change it to just Liam. Ashling still uses 'William' when she's mad at him though. And does anyone want to take a guess as to where I got 'Joseph' for Liam's middle name?

(4) Ha ha! MythBusters rocks! I love that show! So yeah.

AN: Is it obvious that I know nothing about cars? Damian doesn't either, which is probably why he has such a problem with his. Hmm... I've gotta include the devil car later. It's fun! Yeah, and I originally didn't write the last bit of the chapter. The ending somehow changed in the transition from paper to the computer. I'm still wondering how that happened... I blame the chocolate!

0-0-0-0

Shiro: Holy freaking Ra... This is the longest chapter I have ever written. Ever. And I have a feeling that the only chapter that will come close to rivaling it will be the 'Memory Arc' chapter. Which isn't too many chapter from now, actually. What'd I put?

Bast: Chapter 22.

Shiro: Yeah, so that's only 7 chapters from now. Seven chapters that shouldn't take me too long to write. I hope. And after that there's going to be even more chapters. O.O

Bast: Going for a record here, hikari?

Shiro: Oh yeah. Definently. This thing's going to be 35 chapters. And plus some deleted scenes. And maybe an 'interlude' chapter here and there. It's unbelieveable how many scenes I took out of this chapter. Could you imagine the length it would be if I had put those three scenes in? O.O

Damian: Why do I have to have the troublemaking car from hell!

Shiro: (sighs) At least use it's proper name. It's the _devil _car from hell. And I gave it to you because it's funny. Don't worry about it too much.

Damian: I hate you.

Shiro: No you don't. You love me and you know it.

Damian: (twitches)

Keitaro: (growls)

Shiro: (smirks)

Bast: Oh for the love of Ra! Hikari, stop causing trouble!

Shiro: (innocently) I'm not causing trouble.

Bast: Yes you are! Stop it!

Shiro: No I'm not!

Bast: Yes you are!

Shiro: Am not!

Bast: Are too!

Shiro: Am not!

Bast: Are too!

Keitaro: This is going to take a while...

NEXT CHAPTER: _School, a tournament, and dice._


	16. Chapter 16: The Domino Tournament

Disclaimer: Saying I own Yugioh is like saying the world ended on June 6, 2006. It hasn't happened and it's not gonna happen. (Obviously, as it's way past that date)

_**-F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S-**_

_Chapter 16_

Summer vacation has ended and August 23 has come and gone, which means school has restarted for the Domino group. This means things are pretty much back to normal. Well, as normal as things can get around them.

Tama and Ryou's agreement has remained. The two are polite to one another while passing in the halls or classroom and at lunch and any other time the entire group finds time to hang out, but neither of them make any attempts at creating a friendship.

On the other hand, Ryou and Malik's friendship has grown stronger. Unfortunately for the two lights, during much of the time they spend together their darker halves take over to fuss and fight and talk about the past.

A few times their conversations are overheard by Yumeri, who then comes out and begins arguing with Bakura over something random and pointless. Wisely, Mariku stays out of those arguments and finds great amusement in just watching the two of them.

September 4th is one of those days.

"Give me back the remote, thief!"

"Oh? Is the pot calling the kettle black?"

"TOMB ROBBER! Give me back the remote, now!"

Mariku walks out of the kitchen and across the hall with a bag of chips and leans against the living room doorway to watch the fight unfold. He gets there just in time to watch Yumeri tackle Bakura off the couch, wanting the remote back.

"Give it!"

"No! It's mine now!"

There's a loud 'thunk' as Bakura's head meets the living room table. Mariku winces, momentarily feeling pity for his partner in crime. But then he remembers the bag of chips he's holding and gets distracted by the salty, crispy food-things of delight.

"Bwahahaha!"

"Ow! Damn it!"

None of them notice the front door opening and closing or that the Millennium Rod shines brightly for a moment. In fact, up until Seth grabs the Millennium Rod from the belt loop of Mariku's jeans and storms into the living room they don't notice his presence.

"Stop this at once!" He yells powerfully, pointing the Millennium Rod at the two rolling around on the floor. "Lady Yumeri, rise at once! Rolling on the ground is not proper! And you," He narrows his icy blue eyes at Bakura. "you will come with me. Now."

Mariku watches in amusement as Seth walks across the room to Bakura, takes the thief by the arm, and proceeds to drag him to the kitchen.

Now if it were the lights and Seto who play out this scene it'd be even funnier, as Seto would play the part of the overprotective brother. Never mind that they wouldn't even be in this situation.

"What the hell?" Yumeri asks blankly.

Mariku pulls a chip out of the bag and studies it. "Looks like Seth actually did put a small piece of his soul in the Rod. The bastard." He nibbles the edge of the chip a little. "Don't worry. Your hikari's brother will be back to normal in a minute and most likely won't remember any of this." He bites into the chip, savoring the salty flavor. _'Mmm… I love chips.'_

In the kitchen, Bakura utters a curse in Egyptian and rushes out of the room with the Millennium Rod in hand. He tosses the golden item to Mariku and then hisses, "Retreat!"

Malik blinks and looks down at the bag of chips in one hand and the Millennium Rod in the other, wondering when he even got the bag of chips. Ryou bites his lower lip as he tries to figure out how he went from watching TV on the couch with Malik to standing in the hallway. Tama's even more confused, as she was upstairs working on the computer.

"Does anyone else get the feeling something weird is going on?" Malik asks. "Because I have no idea how I got these chips or why I did."

Ryou glances at the clock on the wall and his eyes widen "I could have sworn… wasn't it just one o'five?"

Malik and Tama look at the clock. It reads 2:15.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Noa Kaiba slowly sips his coffee, teal eyes looking out the window of his limo in boredom. So far his day has gone by normally. He got up early to do a little company work, ate a light breakfast, went to school and annoyed the blonde who sits in front of him in 3rd period, went to Kaiba Corp to go through a meeting and more company work, stopped at a coffee shop near where he works, and now he's going home to eat a late dinner and do some more work.

Inattentively, his mind drifts to the girl in his computer programming class. _'What was her last name? It sounded familiar. Too familiar. I'm sure I've never seen her before, so why would it sound familiar. Maybe I've met a relative.' _The image of another company owner floats to the top of his mind. _'Muto! That's what it is. But there's no way…'_

Thinking quickly he opens his laptop and clicks on the search icon he put on his desktop to make finding things easier. Then he types in 'Muto'. Ten results pop up within seconds.

'_Sugoroku Muto, Kojiro Muto, Nashwa Muto, Kiba Muto, Tama Muto, Yu-'_ His eyes widen and he goes back and clicks on Tama's name. _'Tama Muto, daughter of the CEO of Muto Gaming Company, Kojiro Muto. Reports show that she lives with her father, her older brother, her cousin, and two adopted brothers.' _Noa reads a little more and then clicks off the page and closes the laptop, his mind racing.

'_I don't believe it. But why are they here? The main building is being constructed in America. I know for certain that Mr. Muto is there overseeing the building of it.'_

A spot of bright red and pale blonde against the green of the part trees catches his attention. Without really thinking at all, Noa orders his driver to pull over. Once it stops, he gets out and steps into Tama's path.

Tama stops in her tracks, calmly looks around to access the best method of escape should it be necessary.

"Tama Muto, right?" Noa questions.

Tama nods her head, more curious than scared. "Yes. Noa Kaiba, I presume."

"Correct." Noa says. "Care for a ride to your destination? I have a business idea I'd like to discuss with you."

Tama thinks about this for a moment, hesitant to do anything that result in something bad happening. "Can you give me an idea about what this idea is about?"

"Ever heard of Duel Monsters?"

Tama almost rolls her eyes. "Whoever hasn't is living under a rock. And you now have my attention. If you really want to discuss this further, meet me this Saturday at noon at the old coffee shop downtown. It's the first coffee shop I've ever been to that is actually called 'the Old Coffee Shop'."

"Saturday at noon at the Old Coffee Shop." Noa repeats. "I'll be there."

Tama gives a short nod. "Good." Then she continues on her way, leaving a slightly baffled Noa behind.

"What did I just agree to?" He asks himself. "I completely gave in without thought! Idiot!" Cursing himself, Noa gets back into his limo and orders the driver to take him home. There he'll be able to relax and figure out exactly what business idea he can propose to Tama.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"I don't think this is a very good idea." Mokuba uneasily tells Tama. "Seto and Malik would both have a fit if they knew you have a meeting with Kaiba. You should at least take someone with you."

"I am." Tama says as she slips the last bobby pin into place in her hair.

"Blue doesn't count." Mokuba tells her.

Tama turns around with a smile. "Well, it's a good thing that you're coming with me, then isn't it? Go change into something more impressive than a rock T-shirt and old jeans, please."

Mokuba grins and races out of the room, calling over his shoulder, "Seto and Malik still won't be happy about this!"

Tama sighs as she smoothes out the gray knee-length skirt she's wearing. "I know, I know."

Twenty minutes later, after failing to catch the bus and winding up getting a cab, Tama and Mokuba are seated at a secluded table at the café, both of them looking professional for the first time in Domino City.

Tama's hair is pulled up into a neat bun and she's wearing a collared white shirt, a gray vest, and the matching gray skirt. Mokuba has his hair pulled back into a low ponytail for once and he's wearing an ironed, light blue button up shirt with a collar and a pair of ironed black pants. Resting between them is a black briefcase.

Noa soon arrives. "Ah, Miss Muto you look lovely today." Noa says with a charming smile as he takes a seat. "And who is your companion?"

"One of my partners." Tama says smoothly. "Mr. Kaiba, this is Mokuba Muto."

"It's a pleasure." Noa says with a small nod in Mokuba's direction. "Shall we get down to business?"

Tama waves over a waitress. "Coffee first. Then we'll talk.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**September 28, 2006**

"You seem please about something." Seto notes, peering over the top of his glasses at Tama. "Too pleased. What are you up to or what have you done?"

"You'll see." Tama chirps cheerfully. "Just pay attention to the telly at seven o'clock and you'll find out why I'm tickled pink."

Seto raises his eyes to the kitchen clock. "It's six fifty-eight."

"Then start paying attention." Mokuba says from the living room. He turns up the TV a little more. "And it doesn't matter what station it's on. We've got _everything _covered." He giggles a little. "Yugi and the others are gonna be all hyped up when they see this!"

Seto turns a suspicious gaze to the living room, where Mokuba and Malik are at. "You're in on this too, Mokuba?"

"Get up! Get up!" Tama says, practically dragging Seto out of his chair and across part of the kitchen. "If you don't get up and watch this thing on the telly, then I'll have Mokuba turn it up so loud that the entire neighborhood can hear it!"

Seto gives in and soon all four teens are gathered in the living room. Seto and Malik's jaws drop when the announcement for a Duel Tournament in Domino City blares onto the screen. The two are rendered speechless when they find out that it's hosted by both Muto Gaming Company and Kaiba Corporation.

"Why didn't we hear about this?" Seto demands. "And why did you and Mokuba know about this? Did you know about this?" He asks Malik.

"I'm just as surprised by this as you are!" Malik defends, before looking at Tama and Mokuba. "So how did you two know?"

"We helped to organize it and get everything arranged." Mokuba says. "But that's just because Kaiba doesn't know much about Duel Monsters and how tournaments work."

Tama gives Mokuba a disapproving look. "Mokuba, he knows enough to follow the game without confusion. He's just never played before or watched any tournaments before."

"You teamed up with Kaiba? Noa Kaiba?" Seto asks before Mokuba can say anything. "Knowing that he's the CEO of the top technology company in the world, you two went and did this." Although Seto sounds just as calm as ever, he's actually really angry at his two siblings.

"Seto, before you say anything I want you to know that we had dad's permission from the start." Tama tells him. "And Blue was nearby at all times."

"That's not the point!" Malik speaks up. He's angry, but not nearly as angry as Seto is. "The thing is that you didn't tell us what you were doing. If something had happened we wouldn't even know where to start to look!"

"Daddy would." Mokuba defends. "And one of our conditions was that we couldn't inform any duelists of the tournament ahead of time. And we can't duel in the tournament before of that condition. It would be unfair."

There's a moment of silence in which Tama and Mokuba nervously wait, hoping Seto will calm down a little.

"Mokuba has a point." Malik says reasonable, trying to help quell Seto's temper. "And you know that Tama and Mokuba wouldn't willingly put themselves in harms way. I'm sure the two of them along with Blue are more than a match for anyone because most people underestimate them."

"Sometimes I hate that." Tama mutters.

There's another moment of silence.

"We're announcing it formally tomorrow." Mokuba informs them. "So things are going to be crazy for a while, especially these next six or so days. People are going to be trying to gather up enough money to participate and make it to our sign-up stands."

"And eventually we'll get to be the talk of the school." Seto says with a sigh.

The others relax, relieved that Seto's calmed down.

"Time to dig up our dueling outfits!" Malik says cheerfully.

The other three can't help but laugh at that statement and Malik soon joins them.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

As Mokuba said, things are hectic for the rest of the next week until the actual tournament begins. By that time Tama, Mokuba, and Noa are all three exhausted from running around so much to make sure things go as smoothly as possible.

On the first day of the tournament, the Muto house is bustling before seven in the morning, which is rather unusual for them since they like sleeping in on the weekends.

Tama and Mokuba are out of the house before they even get a chance to see what dueling outfit Malik has thrown together, although they do get to see Seto's "outfit of intimidation".

Mokuba and Tama meet Noa near the temporary stage they paid people to build for the occasion. Noa's dressed in a white suit and is drinking a cup of coffee while overseeing the arrangement of the speakers. Then he spots the other two.

"There you are!" He exclaims. "Where have you been! Or more importantly, what are you wearing?"

Tama and Mokuba exchange surprised looks and then look down at what they're wearing. Tama's wearing a long-sleeved gray shirt that has a hole at the end of each sleeve that she hooks her thumbs through. It also shows a little cleavage and clings gently to her skin. Her pants are simply a pair of flared jeans with rips at the knees. Mokuba's wearing a blue and light blue striped long-sleeve shirt with a light brown vest that has many pockets over top of it. He's also wearing a pair of old blue jeans.

"What's wrong with what we're wearing?" Tama asks. "This is a Duel Monsters tournament, not a fancy dinner party.

"You could try and be professional." Noa says.

"Kaiba, in Duel Monsters it doesn't matter what you look like, how much money you have, or where you're from." Mokuba says. "Now are we going to get this tournament started or what?"

And so the tournament begins.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

For the rest of that day and the following four days the gang doesn't see too much of one another, with Seto, Malik, Yugi, Shizuka, and Katsuya dueling; Tama and Mokuba monitoring all of the duels with Noa; and Anzu and Honda cheering on their friends. None of them have seen Ryou, although they have heard rumors of a kid with white hair that has a creepy deck.

And then the first day of the semi-finals arrives and they all find themselves gathering at a stadium that has been cleared for them to use for the finals and semi-finals.

Besides Yugi, Joey, Seto, Bakura, and Malik making it to the semi-finals, ten other people have made it as well.

"Hello everyone and welcome to the semi-finals of the Domino City Tournament!" Tama calls out to the audience gathered in the stands. "Please allow me to introduce the semi-finalists! With twenty wins, one loss; Mai Kujaku!"

Mai looks boredly at the audience. She's dressed in her usual dueling outfit that consists of her white low-cut shirt, her purple jacket and skirt, and her purple boots.

"With eleven, no losses; Seto Muto!"

Tama and Mokuba both have to fight back laughter at sight of Seto wearing a long-sleeve shirt, leather pants, and boots all of which has buckles. Overtop of that is his outrageous, gravity defying, silver-white "coat of intimidation".

"Also with eleven wins and no losses; Malik Ishtar!"

The time Mokuba has to turn away from the finalists because of Malik's outfit that consists of a lilac colored shirt that ends right above his belly button and beige pants.

Tama continues naming off the rest of the semi-finalists, with the rest of them wearing more ordinary clothing; jeans and t-shirts.

Once the introductions are over, Mokuba takes over to explain some stuff for the semi-finals and how they were all selected.

"Once again, hello and welcome to the semi-finals." Mokuba says. "I'm sure we have many people wondering how we selected these fifteen people, and I'll explain that now. Each duel disc is connected to Kaiba Corporation's satellite and information from the duels is sent from the duel disc, to the satellite, and then back down to our computers.

"We paid attention to each duel in great detail and chose these semi-finalists based on how well they duel, how quickly the duel ended in their favor, and whether or not they cheated. Obviously, there are no cheaters in our semi-finalists." Mokuba pauses a moment to look at the audience and the semi-finalists. "Now onto what you're all here for. Tama, my bingo cage please!"

Tama, who had walked off the stage when Mokuba started talking, now walks up back onto the stage and over to her younger brother with a bingo cage with a bunch of little blue balls inside it.

Mokuba takes the bingo cage and starts turning the handle. "It's a little unprofessional, but it works!" One of the balls falls out of the cage and Mokuba picks it up. "The first duelist is… Mai Kujaku, who will be dueling…" He turns the bingo cage handle again. "Howard Keith. Everyone else needs to clear the stage, as it will be used as the dueling arena."

And so the dueling begins again, lasting the entire day with breaks in between each match, with the longest break at noon when they take a two hour break for lunch.

By the end of the first day, there are only seven semi-finalists remaining. Among them are Bakura (pretending to be Ryou), Yugi/Yami, Katsuya, Malik, and Seto.

The semi-finals resume the next day, with Katsuya against Mai as the first battle. After Katsuya wins, the next match is Malik versus Bakura and then Seto against Ryouta Kajiki. The final match of the day is Yugi/Yami against Malik.

Katsuya, Yugi, and Seto are the ones who remain for the final day of the tournament.

The next day, before the dueling begins again, Noa gets on the "dueling arena" to address the remaining three and the crowd. Tama and Mokuba relax in the front of the stands with Anzu, Honda, Shizuka, Malik, and oddly enough, Mai.

"There have been rumors circling around about the prize for the winner of the tournament." Noa says. "At this time, I will address these rumors and tell the true prize. First, there are no alternate prizes. This means that dueling Tama and Mokuba, both of whom are champions of different tournaments in England, is not one of the prizes. Second, winning this tournament does not automatically place you in the District Tournament. You still need three tournament wins. It does, however, count toward a win for the District Tournament." He pauses a moment. "The prize for first place is 7,222,500 yen. Second place is 1,444,500 yen. Third place is 144,450 yen. Now, let the finals begin! Our first duel this morning is Yugi Muto versus Seto Muto!"

The crowd cheers as Noa leaves the stage and Seto and Yugi take their places on opposite sides of it.

The duel lasts for nearly an hour, keeping everyone in suspense throughout the entire thing. Yugi/Yami winds up the victor and then the dueling continues with Seto versus Katsuya. Katsuya wins, to the surprise of everyone. Before the final match, there's a two-hour break.

"That was awesome, Katsuya!" Shizuka exclaims, hugging her brother. "I though you had lost at one point!"

Katsuya smiles. "Yeah, I can't believe it." He glances over at Seto, who's talking to Tama, Mokuba, and Malik. _'Although I can't help but feel like he threw the match. If that's what it is, then I'm gonna make him duel me seriously.'_

"Jounouchi, good luck." Yugi says.

Katsuya smiles, pushing back his thoughts for the time. "Thanks, pal. Good luck to you too."

"Lets go celebrate with some food!" Honda exclaims. "I'm starving!"

"Oh no! Have you and Jounouchi switched brains?" Anzu asks in mock horror.

The others laugh and then make their way to the nearest burger restaurant, not asking the others since they know Malik doesn't eat meat.

With the others, a small argument is taking place.

"You threw the match." Tama accuses, crossing her arms over her chest. "You drew the card that would have won you the match, but you didn't use it. Why?"

Seto hesitates a moment, glancing over at Katsuya before lowering his blue eyes to meet his sisters angry lilac ones. "He deserved to win."

"He won't be happy when he finds out." Malik warns.

"You threw it because of Shizuka, didn't you? Because she needs money for eyes surgery so she won't go blind." Mokuba speaks up, trying to help out Seto.

Seto looks uneasy. "Not exactly… but that's a good reason. I… did a little research with Blue's help."

Mokuba and Malik both frown while Tama glares.

"Seto, we promised we wouldn't invade our friends' privacy anymore!" Mokuba exclaims. "That's not nice."

"I was curious about something." Seto defends. "I know it was wrong to do so there's no need to chew me out about it. I didn't look up anyone else."

"Good. Don't." Tama says crossly. Then she yawns, making sure to cover her mouth with her hand. With all the problems from the tournament, she's been pulling a few all-nighters and hasn't gotten much sleep. That's probably the reason she's so cross.

There's an awkward silence for a moment.

"Are we going to eat anytime today or should I go eat by myself?" Malik asks suddenly, hating the silence. "Or better yet, I'll go find Bakura and treat him to lunch."

"Can I come?" Mokuba asks. "I'm starving. Watching all this dueling and not being able to join in made me hungry."

Malik laughs as he nods. "Sure. The more the merrier. Tama, Seto, either of you want to come?"

Tama declines, giving an excuse that she has something to do, while Seto accepts, feeling rather hungry himself.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Dark Magician! Attack his life points directly!" Yugi/Yami yells.

Katsuya throws his hands up defensively as the Dark Magician attacks, wiping out his remaining life points.

"The winner, Yugi Muto!" Noa announces as the holographic monsters fade away. "Second place, Katsuya Jounouchi! And third place, Seto Muto!"

Cheers erupt from the stands as Noa congratulates Yugi, Katsuya, and then Seto once the brunette joins them on the stage. Once Mokuba and Tama get on the stage and congratulate the three, the prize money is given out in the form of checks.

And that's the end of that tournament.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Muto!" Katsuya yells as he angrily marches over to Seto. "I want a rematch!"

Seto raises an eyebrow, calm on the outside but a little panicked on the inside._ 'Does he know? But how could he? I didn't make it obvious.' _"For what reason, Jounouchi? You won, not me."

Katsuya narrows his eyes. "That's exactly the problem. I may not be the brightest crayon in the box, but at the end of the duel I got the feeling that you held back."

'_He may not be school-smart, but his intuition is spot on.' _Seto thinks. _'I'll have to be careful around him.' _"I don't know what you're talking about." He says out loud. "Why would I hold back in a duel?"

"That's what I want to know." Katsuya says. "I don't like it when people go easy on me for no reason at all. So tell me," He steps closer to Seto. "Why'd you go easy on me? Is it because you took pity on me because I'm a horrible duelist? It is-" He stops and blinks when Seto steps closer and then he backs up until he hit's a wall of a building. Then he gulps when Seto puts his hands on the wall on either side of his head, trapping him there. "Umm… you- you're a li'l close. Dontcha think?" Katsuya nervously asks, lifting his head up to meet Seto's icy glare. He gulps again, but doesn't lower his eyes.

"First of all, you are not a horrible duelist. You made it to the finals. Second," He leans closer. So close Katsuya can feel the younger's breath on his face. "I take pity on no one. Especially when I'm dueling. And third-"

"You actually have a third?" Katsuya boldly asks.

Seto pauses a moment, his eyes loosing some of their icy-ness. "No, actually." He says thoughtfully. He takes a step away from Katsuya and drops his arms to his sides. "And here," He hands Katsuya a check and then starts walking away. "It's for your sister. Use it for the eye surgery she needs." He calls over his shoulder.

Katsuya watches Seto until the brunette is out of sight and then he smiles_. 'Maybe he ain't that bad after all.'_

_**-F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S-**_

Shiro: Well... the ending was kind of a Seto/Katsuya moment... (gets glares from Seto/Jou fans) Erm... yeah, it'll be a while before there's any real fluff. About... five chapters or so, I believe.

Bast: (reading over Shiro's newest chapter plans) Holy Ra, hikari! _Over 30 chapters!_

Shiro: I know. I've got alot of writing to do.

Bast: Damn straight you do! And then there's the damn-

Shiro: (covers Bast's mouth with her hand) (hisses) _Shut up, _yami-dearest!.

Bast: (licks Shiro's hand)

Shiro: Ewww! Yami!

Bast: You shouldn't have showed me that trick.

Shiro: Ugg.

Damian: (sighs) Nixx...

Bast: What's wrong with the purple-haired wonder?

Shiro: He's pining.

Bast: (raises an eyebrow) For the youngest Lexus?

Shiro: Obviously. Didn't you know?

Bast: I don't want to know, hikari. I don't want to know.

NEXT CHAPTER: _New student, Halloween (perfect timing, lol), and birthdays._

_**NOTE:**_

Don't worry, it's a good note this time. Nothing bad has happened. I've been wanting to change the summary for some time now, not particularly liking the one I have now and I want to ask your opinion. Should I change it? Or will it confuse anyone too much if I do that? If you like it or dislike changing it, let me know. If you don't mind me changing the summary, let me know which one you like better, whether it's the original or one of the two new one's I've come up with.

_Summary 1_: (original summary) AU. What if a man named Kojiro Muto had been the one to adopt Seto and Mokuba at the wish of his son and daughter and Malik was sent to live with them at age 9? some shonen ai later

_Summary 2_: AU Things have never been normal for Yugi and the gang, so when the past is changed in some way it's no surprise that things get even weirder, especially with Seto and Mokuba not adopted by Gozaboro. Shonen ai later. several original characters included.

_Summary 3_: AU. What happens when you take the Yugioh cast, scramble up some of their pasts, toss in some original characters to mix it up, and then make up a plot and sit back and see what happens? Instant chaos. Shonen ai later. (pairings listed in chapter 1)


	17. Interlude 1: Damian's Story

**Family Bonds: Interludes**

_Interlude One: Damian's Story_

**_October 29, 2005 _**(Ash, Liam, Dami', Nixx, and Holly's Sophomore year)

Ashling, Liam, Damian, Nixx, and Holly sit in the Phoenix's back yard around a fire on old towels. Two tents stand erect about ten feet away from the fire with a bucket of water near each one.

"I have a story." Damian says. "And it'll be better than Nixx's story about his dream of a city of gay people."

Nixx grins.

"I want no interruptions while I'm telling my story, because I'll lose my train of thought if someone does." Damian tells them. "And it's a true story and perfect for our upcoming favorite holiday- Halloween." He pauses for a moment. "I was nine when I first moved here to Virginia and at that time I lived out on a gravel and dirt road off of Callaway Road somewhere. And it was past Holly's house too. Anyway, there was this one place along our road that everyone avoided like the plague. It looked like an ordinary dirt driveway with a black iron gate that had two black cats made of stone on either side. And the sentry cats had these creepy green jeweled eyes that made it seem like they watched you. And there was always cats sitting around or on that gate that just sat there and watched people. I could never get the cats to come near me and they ran when I approached them. I even tried using treats to get them to come close to me. And then one day I was walking home from school and saw the three bullies in the neighborhood all huddled around something…"

* * *

_-FLASHBACK-_

A nine-year-old Damian walks down a gravel road carrying his backpack and purple jacket. Up ahead he spots three older boys all crowded around something on the side of the road. The sound of a kitten mewing reaches his ears as he gets closer and he stops and narrows his eyes.

Without really thinking about it, Damian grabs a couple of the larger pieces of gravel from the road and throws them one by one at the boys, who swat them away and then start in on Damian. But then a bunch of cats, mostly black ones, come out of the woods and sit and stare at the boys they grow nervous and flee.

"That's right, you better run!" Damian yells after them. (Ashling giggles, but refrains from commenting.) "Jerks." He mutters before he walks over to the side of the room and carefully picks up the little black kitten on the side of the road.

The cats who scared off the guys remain where they are, carefully watching Damian to make sure he doesn't do anything. Some of the cats have disappeared back through the gate.

"You poor thing." Damian murmurs. "I'm going to take you home and make sure you're alright since I don't know where you live. Unless…" He spots a black color around the kittens neck and checks the small name tag on it. "Salem Winchester, 13 Blackwater Road…" He gulps and looks at the gated driveway across from him. "Y-you live there, kitty?"

The kitten mews.

"Oh man…"

_-END FLASHBACK-_

* * *

"So I took the kitten home." Damian says. "I was too scared to even try to take the kitten to his owner and the cats who scared away the boys were still all staring at me and that creeped me out even more.

"Anyway, I kept the kitten for a few days to make sure it was okay and I had to work up my courage to take him to that house. Then I put the kitten in a basket with a toy and walked down the road to take the kitten back…"

* * *

_-FLASHBACK-_

Damian walks down the road carrying a small basket with the kitten inside it playing with a toy mouse. "Okay, I just need to open the gate and walk down the driveway, ring the doorbell and give her back the kitten and then go home." He says to himself. "But what if she invites me in? I don't want to seem rude but I really don't want to go in either. And what if-"

A chuckle cuts him off and Damian jerks his head over to the driveway that usually just has cats to see an elderly woman with long silver-white hair standing at the open black gate.

"Hello young man, I believe you have someone who belongs to me. Although technically he's my younger brother's." She says kindly.

"Y-yeah." Damian stutters, trying to make his feet move toward her to give her the basket. He doesn't succeed.

The woman smiles in understanding. "It's okay. Come with me, I've been wanting to talk to you."

Now Damian tries to make his feet stop moving and not follow her. Again he fails. And a part of him is curious. 'How does she know?'

_-END FLASHBACK-_

* * *

"Needless to say, I was scared out of my mind since I couldn't even control my own feet. But I didn't say anything and just kept going. And it was weird, the cats followed us down the driveway and up onto the porch before they all ran off. All of them were black cats, dark colored tabby's, and dark colored Abyssinian mixes.

"So we're out the porch and she asks me to sit down and then she goes inside and all these cats come running out the door. There had to have been eight different breeds in that group. But anyway, I'm sitting in a wicker chair that's by a table that matches and this large, fluffy, orange cat comes out of nowhere and jumps into my lap and lays down and takes a nap. So then I'm stuck there in the chair and can't move. It's about this time she comes back out with a tray of tea and cookies and she just chuckles when she sees the cat. The cat's name was William, if you wanted to know." He adds. "And then we started talking."

Damian pauses to catch his breath and review mentally what he's said so far. "Lets see.. I had to have stayed there for hours just talking to her and listening to her stories about the crazy things her cats have done and some stuff about her three brothers and I told her about my old adventures in Domino City. It was dark out by the time I got home that night. And for the next week I'd stop by to see her every day after school and stay until dusk. I didn't learn very much about her during that time, but I learned a lot about her cats and knew all their names and could recognize each one of them. I'd take the time to describe what they look like and tell their names, but we'd be up all night if I did that." He pauses for a moment. "Five of the cats she got from her uncle who shared my name and every cat except for three were rescued from shelters. The three not from shelters were purebreds she got from credited breeders.

"The last time I saw her she was acting weirder than usual. I will always remember the exact words she said to me…"

* * *

_-FLASHBACK-_

"I have something I need to tell you and something I need to give you." The woman says. "Listen carefully to what I say and remember it well." She pauses a moment to make sure Damian is listening. "In less than a year's time you will meet two special twins who are always together. Never let yourself drift away from them. One day they may save your life. Cherish all of your friends and keep in touch with each of them. Be wary of a hazel-eyed girl who may break your heart one day. Cats will never fail you. Gentle breezes…"

-_END FLASHBACK-_

* * *

"… and blessed be." (1) Damian finishes. "That was what she said to me before she handing me a box a little bigger than a normal sized shoe-box for Ash's boots. And inside that box… was more boxes. Those boxes had little notes attached to them, and most of them weren't even for me." He takes five boxes out of his pocket and reads out loud the note on each one as he hands them to their respective person. "Miss Ashling Leona Phoenix, Mister Liam Joseph Phoenix, Miss Holly Trinity Gull, Mister Nixxuss Gene Lexus, and Mister Damian Cerberus Mizu."

One-by-one they all open their boxes and pull out what's inside.

Ashling's is a black velvet choker with a silver cat with a front paw raised to the right. Liam's is a matching choker, except his cat is gold and it's paw is raised to the left. Nixx's is an armband in the shape of a black dragon that has blue eyes and Holly's is a gold bracelet in the shape of a dragon with stone amethyst eyes. Damian's is a pair of silver earrings made to look like cats claws.

"Cool!" Nixx exclaims.

Damian looks thoughtfully at the earrings he got. "After that day I never saw her or any of her cats again. When I was walking home from school the next day there wasn't even a sign of a driveway or gate ever being there. There were no statues, there was no gate, no smoke curling above the trees, and there were no cats. It's as if she simply… vanished."

They're all silent for a moment.

"Whoever she was, she somehow knew us well." Nixx comments, trying on the armband.

Holly clips on her bracelet and holds it out to admire it. "Did you ever find out her name?" She asks curiously.

"Ophelia." Damian says. "Ophelia Hathor Otogi."

"That's a pretty name." Ashling whispers as Holly stands up.

"Maybe one day you'll have a daughter and can name her that in honor of her." Liam suggests.

Ashling shrugs. "Maybe."

"_THANK YOU MISS OPHELIA!!!" _Holly loudly shouts to the skies.

_**F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--:--I-N-T-E-R-L-U-D-E-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--:--I-N-T-E-R-L-U-D-E-S**_

(1) I wonder if anyone knows where I got this phrase. (Gentle breezes and blessed be.) Although I combined two common phrases... I'll be surprised if anyone does.

0-0-0

Shiro: Meh... just a quick break from the actual story line so I can do some catching up one chapters. There's actually going to be quite a few of these if I actually write the one's I've come up with so far. And I've got one for each holiday too... and some other holidays. I may have the Halloween Interlude posted tomorrow if I get it finished.

Gentle breezes! (And stay safe on Halloween, everyone!)


	18. Chapter 17: Enter DiceBoy!

Disclaimer: Saying I own Yugioh is like saying the world ended on June 6, 2006. It hasn't happened and it's not gonna happen. (Obviously, as it's way past that date)

_**-F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S-**_

_Chapter 17_

**October 11, 2006**

Malik, Seto, Yugi, and Katsuya walk into their homeroom early one morning to find the room to be louder and a little more crowded than usual.

"What the hell is going on?" Malik asks irritably. He hadn't gotten much sleep the night before and so he's not very happy at the moment.

"Dunno." Katsuya says as he looks around the room for the source of all the commotion. "Looks like we got a new guy." He says, noticing an unfamiliar black-haired male surrounded by chattering girls.

Malik wrinkles his nose. "How can he stand that? Seto can't even handle that and he's the calmest of us next to Mokuba."

"Must not be used to fan girls. He'll get tired of it eventually." Seto says dismissively. "Lets go sit down."

"Wait." Anzu says as she joins them. "Maybe we should go introduce ourselves and make him feel welcome."

"Anzu, I think the guy has a big enough welcoming committee." Katsuya says. "Look at 'im. He's got girls from other homerooms hoverin' around him. Lets wait until later to introduce ourselves."

"I don't think I even want to." Malik mutters. "What's that thing Tama says at parties?" He asks Seto.

"About the women? 'All fur coat and no knickers'." Seto says. "But that's to describe women, Malik. Even though he does look rather feminine."

"Take your seats everyone!" The teacher says as he walks into the room. He frowns when he notices all of the extra girls. "Ladies, go to your correct homeroom and leave our new student alone." He waits until the girls leave before he shuts the door. "Everyone, this is Ryuuji Otogi. He's joining us from the California, which is in the United States of America. Please make him feel welcome."

0-0-0-0-0-0

By the time lunch rolls around, Malik and Seto aren't the only ones who already dislike Otogi. Honda, Katsuya, and Tama also dislike him. Honda and Katsuya dislike him because everyone pays so much attention to him and Tama dislikes him because he flirted with her.

"I hate him." Tama growls, glaring at the group of girls surrounding Otogi. "I effing hate him."

"Isn't hate a little strong?" Yugi asks. "We don't even know him. He could be nice."

Tama twitches. "He tried to feel me up."

Malik and Seto, who were asking Honda and Katsuya if Yugi always sees good in everyone, growl and glare in Otogi's direction.

"I'll kill him." Seto hisses.

"Not if I get to him first." Malik growls.

Anzu leans toward Tama and whispers, "Are they always this protective about things like this?"

Tama shakes her head. "No. Sometimes they're worse. One time Seto, Malik, and Kiba went up and cornered this one guy who expressed interest in me and made up this rather interesting and vivid threat. Daddy, Mokuba, and I found it hilarious."

"You would." Malik mutters.

"I still think we should go say hello." Anzu insists, changing the subject back to the first subject they began discussing. "Maybe he's just putting on an act like Seto does."

Katsuya snorts. "Anzu, that don't look like an act to me."

"And I refuse to go anywhere near him." Tama says stubbornly. "No amount of money in the world could make me go near him."

"So it's just Yugi and I?" Anzu asks. "Well, if you all are too chicken to go welcome the new guy, then I guess that's okay…"

"Say what!" Katsuya jumps up and points a finger at Anzu. "I'll have you know that Katsuya Jounouchi is no chicken! I won't like it, but I'll go with you."

"Same here." Honda agrees.

Eventually, Anzu talks the entire group into going; the entire group being herself, Yugi, Ryou, Katsuya, Honda, Seto, Tama, and Malik.

Somehow they manage to get through the crowd of people surrounding Otogi and once they're close enough Anzu holds out her hand for him to shake and warmly says, "Hi! I'm Anzu Mazaki. You're Ryuuji Otogi, right?"

Otogi smiles and shakes her hand. "That's right. Do you mind if I ask you a question, Miss Mazaki?" He politely asks.

"Sure." Anzu responds, ignoring Tama's whispers of, "Don't say yes! Don't say yes!"

"I must say that I have seen every one of the girls at this school, and not one has beauty that even comes close to yours. How do you do it?"

Anzu blushes, won over by Otogi's charm while Tama, Malik, Katsuya, and Honda roll their eyes; Seto mutters something about imbeciles; Ryou looks a little confused; and Yugi attempts a glare only to have it falter in under two seconds.

"Damn it." Tama mutters. "He's gotten Anzu."

Otogi raises an eyebrow and looks around Anzu so he can see Tama. He grins. "Tamashira Muto! My favorite little model!"

"Call me that again and I'll show you the meaning of true pain." Tama hisses. "I could care less that you're in business with Pegasus, so I assure you that I can and will hurt you."

Otogi gulps and backs down. "I believe you."

"Good." Tama says with a growl. As she turns around and begins leaving, she calls over her shoulder, "And if you ever touch my ass again, I will help my brothers castrate you!" She looks over her shoulder and gives Otogi a saccharine sweet smile. "Have a nice day!" She chirps, before bouncing off.

Yugi, Anzu, Honda, Ryou, and Katsuya sweat drop while Seto, Malik, and Otogi remain unfazed.

"Is that… normal?" Honda asks.

"Completely." Seto and Malik deadpan.

0-0-0-0-0-0

A day or two later Tama finds herself on the phone with Yugi. Some whispers can be heard in the background from Yugi's end, which makes Tama suspect that Yugi has her on speaker phone and that the others are whispering questions to Yugi.

"Hey Tama, on Wednesday at lunch you made it sound like you knew Otogi before he came here." Yugi says slowly. "Did you?"

"The others are there and you have me on speakerphone, don't you." Tama sounds a little amused when she says this. "That doesn't matter. Hello everyone."

The others say hello back.

"Back to your question," Tama begins. "I did know Otogi before he came here. If you remember correctly, I was gone for three days before we announced the tournament. That's because I had to fly out to California to talk to Pegasus J. Crawford and get his permission to host the tournament. I met Otogi there. He has an interesting new game that he's introducing here. And I think his new game shop is pretty close to yours, Yugi. That's a pity…"

"W-why?" Yugi nervously asks.

"Because we're going to run him out with the game shop." Tama replies. "The Kame Game Shop is a sub-shop of the Muto Gaming Company. If you guys ever get into a jam over there, then just tell Seto, Malik, Mokuba, or myself. And I don't want to hear any arguments about it either. We're family, and a family helps one another out."

Yugi sighs. "Alright, I'll tell you if we run into any problems. But we're really just fine. Sales haven't gone down too much."

"If you're sure. Now, have you heard those rumors about Otogi's Halloween party?" Tama asks.

"Yeah, it sounds like fun. Even if the guy is a jerk." Katsuya speaks up. "Is it gonna be a costume party or just somethin' normal?"

"Dunno." Tama replies. "We- and when I say 'we' I mean Anzu and Yugi- can ask him tomorrow."

**October 31, 2006**

The evening of the Halloween Costume party arrives quickly for the group. It's so far been determined that Anzu's going as a ballerina, Honda's going as a detective, Seto's going as a cat, Katsuya's going as a puppy, and Shizuka and Ryou are going as angels. The others are keeping their costumes a secret.

However, the remaining four's costumes won't stay a secret for too long, since they're currently putting them on in preparation for the party.

Anzu, Honda, Seto, Katsuya, Shizuka, and Ryou are already wearing their costumes and are sitting downstairs with Malik and Yugi while waiting for Tama and Mokuba to come down the stairs.

"Hurry up!" Malik impatiently yells up the stairs. "We're leaving in just a half hour and Yugi and I need to get our costumes on!"

"We're coming!" Tama yells back down the stairs. "We just need one more minute for the finishing touches! Ouch! Mokuba, that thing's hot! Be careful!"

The others settle down a little and only have to wait a minute or two before Mokuba and Tama walk down the stairs.

Tama's dressed as a gypsy and her outfit has a slight Egyptian twist to it, with all her jewelry being gold and her entire outfit being a light cream color. She's even done up her hair and put make-up on for the occasion. Her hair has been curled so that it falls messily while up in a high ponytail and her eyes have been outline in kohl and she's wearing a gold colored eye shadow. In each of her ears are large gold hoop earrings.

For a moment the others are shocked at seeing Tama willingly wearing a dress, but that changes the moment they see Mokuba.

He's a princess.

No joke.

Mokuba is wearing a light pink ballroom style dress that only has a little lace on the end of the skirt of the dress. To go along with the costume, he has allowed Tama to put a light shade of blue eye shadow on his eyes and he's wearing a pair of small earrings.

"What have you done to him?" Seto asks in shock.

Mokuba lifts up the skirt a little and twirls around once. "What's wrong, big brother? Don't you like it?"

Seto wordlessly opens and closes his mouth a few times, unsure of what to say or how to word his feelings.

"Well, we know who'd win something for creativity if there were a contest." Katsuya remarks. "And I think the costume's cool."

There's a moment of silence as everyone tries to get over their shock of seeing Mokuba in a pink dress.

"My turn!" Malik says, jumping off the couch. "You too, Yugi!" He grabs Yugi's arm and pulls the smaller boy up the stairs, too excited to wait.

The two guys don't take as long as it took Tama and Mokuba to get ready, although it comes close. By the time they get downstairs, it's to find the others playing cards.

Mokuba takes one look at Malik's costume, grins, and then cries, "My knight in shining armor!" before he jumps up and runs over and hugs Malik.

The others laugh while Malik rolls his eyes and adjusts some of his armor and mumbles, "And it'd be more like prince charming, goof."

"Hey Yugi, that's an interesting outfit." Katsuya comments. "So, er… what are you?"

"I'm a court jester." Yugi says, tugging on one of the four "arms" of his hat, which makes the little bell at the end jingle.

"Wow, so you actually tamed your hair?" Seto teases, having experience with the infamous untamable Muto hair. Mokuba also has a hair taming problem.

Yugi sheepishly smiles. "Not really. I had to get Malik to help me just to get it into a ponytail. That took us fifteen minutes and at least ten hair things."

"So then we had to grab one of your scrunchi's." Malik informs Tama. "Since that's the biggest thing we have in the house for hair."

Tama shrugs. "Okay. I've got too many anyway so it doesn't matter if it breaks."

"That's good, 'cause about five of those broke…" Malik rubs the back of his neck. "So then I divided his hair into two parts and pulled it down like that. Then I tied those two pieces together, And it's staying so far."

Yugi subconsciously reaches up to check his hair. "I hope it stays."

_-"Aibou,"- _Yami's ghost-like form appears beside Yugi, making the smaller jump a bit. The spirit smiles gently and rests his hand on Yugi's shoulder. _-"It'll be fine. Yours cousin did a good job."-_

Yugi glances up at Yami. _'You think so, mou hitori no boku?'_

Yami nods. _-"I do."-_

Yugi smiles back. _'Thanks.'_

0-0-0-0-0-0

At the party, half of the group stands in a corner just chatting, drinking punch, and making fun of Yugi as he grows increasingly annoyed at all the guys Anzu is dancing with. Honda, Shizuka, and Mokuba are the only others, besides Anzu, who are out dancing.

"He's touching her." Yugi suddenly growls.

The others sweat drop.

"Yugi, if it annoys you that much then just go dance with her." Malik reasonably says. "Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go find someone to dance with." With a smile he turns and walks off into the crowd, swaying to the beat.

The others remain in their corner for a few minutes, just commenting on random things and trying to keep Yugi from doing anything drastic.

"You know, Malik has the right idea." Tama says when she gets tired of just talking. "Anyone want to dance?"

Yugi partially glares at Anzu's next dance partner, Katsuya looks away, and Seto smirks and points at Katsuya and mouths, "I've got Jounouchi."

Tama sighs. "Well, I guess I'll go find Mokuba then." She says. "Cheerio!" With a swish of her skirts, Tama turns and disappears into the crowd of dancers.

"Yugi, go dance with Anzu." Seto tells the smaller boy, fed up with the glaring and growls. Then he takes Katsuya's hand. "And as for you puppy, we're going to dance as well."

Katsuya stares at Seto in shock for a moment while Yugi finally makes up his mind and joins Anzu in the crowd. Seto patiently waits for the blonde to speak, fully prepared for a loud exclamation on how that wouldn't be right.

To his surprise, Katsuya doesn't yell. Instead the blonde looks down at the floor and shuffles his feet a bit as he mumbles something.

"What was that?" Seto asks.

Katsuya looks up. "I said, 'I can't dance'. Mother and Shizuka have tried to teach me before, but… it didn't turn out too well. Mother told me I'm like my dad - I got two left feet. Heh, never figured that was actually an insult."

Seto frowns.

"And why do you wanna dance with me, anyway? There's tons of pretty girls 'round here." Katsuya says. "And we're both guys. Won't it be kind of weird for us to dance together?"

"Jounouchi, my brother - _my little brother _- is wearing a dress; it can't get weirder than that." Seto says. "It'll be fine. Look, Malik's dancing with Bakura over there and they're not getting odd looks."

Sure enough, Malik has somehow managed to talk Ryou into dancing with him. Although if one were to look carefully, it can be seen that Malik's hair spikes up more than usual and his eyes are darker and Ryou's hair is wilder and his eyes have a reddish tint.

Katsuya almost rolls his eyes. "Muto, Bakura actually _looks _like a girl. That's probably why they're not getting odd looks."

"Good point." Seto says. "But that fact isn't going to stop us from dancing. I don't care about the odd looks and I don't care if you think you can't dance. _I'll _teach you. And I wont' take 'no' for an answer. Lets go, puppy."

Katsuya yelps as Seto pulls him out into the crowd to dance.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Later that night once they get home, Seto brings up an interesting topic.

"I want to teach Jounouchi how to dance."

Tama falls over backwards, having been bending backwards with Mokuba's help for one of her odd stretching exercises, while Mokuba and Malik look at Seto in surprise.

"Dancing?" Malik asks. "You want to teach Jounouchi how to dance?"

Seto nods. "Yes. And maybe we can teach the others a little."

Tama sits up and brushes her bangs out of her eyes. "Are we talking dancing like what we did at the Halloween party, or are we talking ballroom dancing like we do at the fancy party things?"

Seto hesitates a second before saying, "Ballroom dancing."

Tama, Malik, and Mokuba all groan, not at all looking forward to doing that.

"Seto, it took us nearly a year to learn." Malik says. "The next big fancy party we'll have to go to is the Christmas one. And it's only two months away."

"We'll just have to hope he's a fast learner. And he doesn't have to learn all of them." Seto dismissively says. "And the reason it took us a year to learn was because we kept goofing off and putting it off. Remember?"

Mokuba grins. "I remember! I remember this one time when Tama and I were practicing-"

"Mokuba, don't you dare." Tama says.

"-and Tama was leading-"

"Mokuba, I'm warning you!"

"-and then all of a sudden she-"

"Mokuba!"

"-lets out this really loud belch." Mokuba finishes. "And we both started laughing." He looks at Seto and Malik. "I suppose it's one of those stories where you had to have been there to know why it's funny."

"I was there. It wasn't funny." Tama glowers.

"That's because you were the cause of the entertainment!" Mokuba chirps. "So of course you don't think it's funny."

**October 22, 2006- Virginia**

A digital clock setting on a dresser in the bedroom of the Phoenix twins reads 11:69. Moments later it blinks to read 12:00. It is now December 23.

In the lower bunk Ashling rolls over onto her left side and Nixx sighs and murmurs Damian's name before he rolls over to face away from Ashling. On the top bunk Liam mumbles something about green monkeys and rolls over onto his back.

A few minutes later Ashling begins tossing and turning in the lower bunk and breaks out into a sweat. A short time after that she wakes up with a loud, piercing scream.

Liam awakens with a yell while Nixx jumps up and slams his head against the bottom of the top bunk with a curse.

Liam's the first to figure out what's going on and he jumps down from the top bunk and slides onto the bottom bunk with his twin and Nixx. Carefully, he wraps his arms around his sister's torso and hugs her comfortingly. "Easy Ash, it's okay." He whispers. "It's okay. Everything is fine. You're safe here at home in bed with me and Nixx."

Ashling whimpers a little and rolls around so she's facing Liam and can cling to the front of his old t-shirt.

"Shh… it's okay." Liam whispers. "Just breathe, Ash. Breathe and relax. Don't completely hyperventilate on me."

Ashling takes a deep shuddering breath trying to calm herself down and eventually calms down enough to breathe evenly.

"You okay now?" Liam gently asks. "Do you feel like talking about it yet?"

Ashling nods. "Yeah. Give me a minute."

"What was that about anyway?" Nixx asks, finding his voice. "And how come you're so calm about this, Liam? Has this happened before?"

Liam sighs. "I told you about Ashling's visions and it seems like it's happened again. This is the fifth time. The first time was something odd, like a vision of us in the future. The second vision was the car accident three of my old friends were in. The third was an abstract vision of the nine-eleven attack. The last one she had was of the death of our cat Tonka.

"It was worse this time…" Ashling murmurs. "There was a boy. I don't know who he is or was, but he looked to be around ten. He had light blonde hair and wore this… dress. Well, it wasn't a dress exactly. It was more like a really long shirt." She pauses a moment to try and collect her thoughts. "He lived… underground I think. And he had to go through this horrible 'initiation'. That's what his father called it." She shudders.

"What was it, Ash?" Liam prods.

Nixx remains quiet, not sure what to say when Ashling is like this.

Ashling avoids her twin's eyes as she finishes telling him and Nixx about her vision. "His father took this knife and… carved out something on the boy's back. I didn't hear what it was for. But there was… so much blood. Everywhere." Ashling breaks down crying again, the images from her vision flashing before her eyes.

Liam and Nixx spend the remainder of the night trying to calm down Ashling and make her rest.

**Domino City**- Muto House (aka The Dragons' Den)

"Happy birthday, Malik!"

Malik sleepily looks around the kitchen at his crazy friends and family, who are obviously morning people, and then turns around as if to go back upstairs to bed.

"Come back here!" Tama exclaims, rushing forward and grabbing her cousin's arm. With a bright smile on her face she pulls Malik over to the table and makes him sit down. "We had Katsuya make his special waffles just for your birthday! You'd better eat them all!"

Malik looks from Tama, to the stack of waffles in front of him, and then back again. "You can't be serious."

"Of course she's not." Mokuba replies. "Although it'd be funny to watch you try."

The others agree, finding the mental image of that highly amusing.

Soon they're all sitting around the small table eating the waffles, eggs, and bacon. (Or in Malik's case, eating waffles and fruit.) Their conversation ranges from the amount of homework they have to do on Christmas break to what they're going to do to Malik's seventeenth birthday to what kind of cake Katsuya and Seto made.

Eventually they decide on a trip to the arcade and then to the movie theater, stopping at the Old Café in downtown Domino before taking the long way home through the park. It's also been decided that Katsuya will cook dinner by himself, since he insisted upon it.

And so they set off, intending to have a day of fun. Before they leave the house, however Anzu makes sure they're all dressed warming enough since it's around 20 degrees Fahrenheit (-12 degrees Celsius) outside.

At the arcade Anzu heads immediately for DDR with Yugi trailing after her to watch; Tama and Mokuba go to the air hockey table; Seto challenges Katsuya to a racing game; Honda goes to play a fighting game; Shizuka catches sight of the Mrs. Packman game and plays that; and Malik and Ryou wander around talking a bit before Malik convinces Ryou to go watch Anzu on the DDR game so he can find out her skill level and challenge her.

They stay at the arcade for a few hours before they use up the money they've saved for the arcade and then they head to the Old Café, getting sidetracked by a pet shop along the way.

By the time they get back to The Dragons' Den it's around 4 o'clock and they're all freezing cold and a little wet thanks to the impromptu snowball fight started by Mokuba and Honda. Eventually everyone gets dry and warm and Katsuya starts on dinner while the others gather in the living room.

For the rest of the evening they goof off and play random games, pausing only to eat the dinner Katsuya made and to sing happy birthday to Malik and eat cake.

0-0-0-0-0-0

On January 27, Liam and Ashling celebrate their birthday in Virginia while over in Domino City Katsuya celebrates his own birthday.

As always, Liam and Ashling's birthday is an odd one, as their friends have attempted to throw a surprise party. And usually surprises go horribly wrong in their group, mainly because Nixx can't keep a secret to save his life.

The point is, that surprises go horribly wrong with them. Like the time Nixx gave Damian a purple kitty plushie for a gift and it had pink lettering on it's belly that read, "Nixx and Damian Forever". In the cafeteria. In front of hundreds of students.

And then there's the time Roman told Ashling he had a surprise for her and then started singing in the middle of History class, going as far as to jump up on his desk and dance.

Things like that have become so commonplace in their group, that it's actually normal and not really that weird to them anymore. Especially since Damian and Nixx have to be dramatic in public at least one point of the day.

And so it comes as no surprise to anyone when Nixx drinks too much soda and gets hyper or when Roman has one cup off sugared coffee too many and begins singing a cheesy love song to Ashling. And it really comes as no surprise when the birthday cake explodes when Ashling and Liam start cutting into it.

Thankfully, over in Domino City Katsuya has a more peaceful birthday unless you count the snowball war they started in Yugi's backyard. Or the snowman building contest. Or the human sled contest.

0-0-0-0-0

February 20, 2007

Shizuka goes to the hospital to get the eye surgery she needs and everyone's either waiting by the phone's all day or sitting in the waiting room at the hospital. Katsuya, Honda, Anzu, and Mokuba are the ones who are waiting at the hospital and everyone else is waiting by the phones.

An hour and a half passes and everyone starts getting worried when they hear no news. Fifteen minutes later Tama, Seto, and Malik recieve a phone call from Mokuba who gives them the news that Shizuka's eye surgery was a success and she'll be returning home later once they make sure they'll be no further problems.

Tama and Malik immediately begin preparing a feast to celebrate the success of the surgery, making sure to make Shizuka's favorite foods. Seto sits back and lets them work, not being much of a cooking person. In fact, the last time he tried to make soup he made such a mess out of it that Kojiro banned him from the kitchen for a month. He hasn't cooked anything since then, except to pop popcorn in the microwave.

That night everyone goes over to their house and celebrates with much singing, laughing, and a little impromptu dancing from Mokuba, Tama, and Katsuya.

_**-F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S-**_

Shiro: First off, HAPPY HALLOWEEN! ((and the Halloween interlude will have to wait for tomorrow.)) And hey, I'm actually getting them to stay at a nice length! Woo-hoo! 7 pages seems to be about normal now. Wonder how long they'll stay at 7 pages...

Bast: I give it another chapter or two.

Shiro: In another chapter or... five it'll be chapter 22 which I'm predicting will be longer than the rest. I've got alot I need to cover in that chapter.

Bast: I told you to break it up a bit, hikari.

Shiro: (sighs) I know... I know... Hey, you know what?

Bast: What?

Shiro: I've got a nice collection of Deleted Scenes for this story! They're really funny too. Especially the ones I took out of chapter 15. Man, that was a fun chapter to write... I did get a little carried away with the 'devil car from Hell' though. (shrugs) Oh well!

Bast: (sweatdrops)

NEXT CHAPTER: _Yami's, Spring Break, and meetings_


	19. Interlude 2: Halloween and Samhain

**Interlude Two:**

**Holiday 1- Halloween/Samhain**

_Virginia- October 31, 2005_

Holly, Liam, Ashling, and Nixx are at school early in the morning on Halloween and are walking to their usual morning spot while holding something of a conversation. Holly, Liam, and Ashling are all dressed up and Nixx is just wearing orange and black.

Holly has on a black skirt and a blue shirt with long bell-sleeves and a black witches hat atop her head.

Ashling's wearing a black dress with long sleeves that look shredded and she has on her boots and a belt around her waist. A witches hat sits atop her head.

Liam is wearing black jeans and a shirt and has a black cloak thrown on overtop. He has a witches hat as well and it's in black.

"I love Halloween!" Holly happily sings as she spins around once in a circle.

"I thought you three were going to start calling it 'sewing' or something." Nixx comments.

"It's Samhain, Nixx." Ashling corrects. "Samhain. And while Halloween and Samhain fall on the same day, the two holidays are almost entirely different."

"Yeah, Halloween is mainly a Christian holiday where people dress up and throw parties and little kids dress up and get candy." Liam says.

Nixx raises an eyebrow as he drops his book bag on the ground by the rail their group gathers around each morning. "So what's Samhain again?"

"Samhain is a Wiccan sabbat and it marks the symbolic death of the Sun God. And it's a day of remembering friends and family who have passed on." Holly explains.

"It's seen as a sacred night and is linked with the coming of winter and ancient hunting rituals." Damian adds in as he joins the group. "So by dressing up we're going by Halloween traditions." He grins when the four look at him in surprise. "What? You don't like my costume?"

"It's so… so…" Liam struggles for the right descriptive word.

"Purple." Ashling finishes for her twin. "Where'd you find a purple cloak and witches hat?"

Damian puffs up proudly. "I made them myself! Ain't they cool?"

Holly pokes Damian's stomach, making the purple-haired boy jump about a foot into the air. "Yeah it is and you're getting fat."

"I am not!" Damian argues. "I _don't _get fat. It's a fact of life."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Nixx exclaims, stopping the argument in it's tracks. "Since when have you joined them, Damian?!"

Damian blinks. "Since forever, duh." He says. "And it makes our coven have an even number of people and a person for each element. I'm fire, Holly's water, Liam's earth, and Ash is air."

"I'm confused." Nixx whines. "Everyone's changing religions around me lately."

Holly, Ashling, Liam, and Damian sweat drop.

"Nixx, this has been like this for a year now." Ashling says. "You were just too busy teasing Kaylie about getting ISS again. Well, either that or Roman was picking on you while Alex was working on that religion project on Buddhism for history class."

"It was both." Holly says helpfully. "And it was also the day of his English test on some book he never read because he was too busy drooling over Damian."

"Hey! I resent that!" Nixx exclaims.

The others just laugh, knowing that's most likely the reason Nixx didn't get the book read. If it weren't for Damian being in that class he would have gotten an A or B instead of a D.

0-0-0-0

_Domino City- Kame Game Shop_

"Remind me again why we're celebrating Halloween this year. It's not like we can go trick-or-treatin' or nothing." Katsuya comments, watching Yugi hand up last minute decorations in the shop while Honda arranges the fog machines.

"We're doing this for the little kids, Jounouchi." Anzu reminds, putting on a purple witches hat. "And while Shizuka and I help Yugi's grandpa with the little trick-or-treaters, you all are going to have your monster movie marathon and scare one another."

Katsuya raises an eyebrow. "What are you suppose to be anyway, Anzu?"

"I'm the Magician of Faith, obviously." Anzu replies.

"More like 'Magician of Freaks'." Katsuya comments jokingly.

"Jounouchi!" Anzu angrily shouts.

"All done!" Shizuka announces, returning from the bathroom where she was changing into her Dark Magician Girl costume. "What do you guys think?"

Katsuya takes one look at the costume and twitches. "I think it's a little much, sis." He says. "Why don't you trade with Anzu."

"Why? Would she make a better 'Magician of Freaks'?" Anzu asks crossly.

"Yes." Katsuya nods. "I mean- uh- well, just look at what she's wearing!"

"Katsuya, this is the only costume that fits right." Shizuka says softly. "It will be fine. I'll be standing behind the counter the entire time."

"Well… alright." Katsuya gives in. "But if anyone gives you any trouble hen come get me or Honda."

Shizuka smiles. "I will, big brother."

0-0-0-0

Things go smoothly for them that night so Anzu and Shizuka have no trouble with the trick-or-treaters.

As for the guys…

They watched so many scary movie's that they got themselves completely freaked out and wound up huddled on the couch together covered by a bunch of blankets. Of course, it doesn't help that the girls played a prank on them to scare them. Mainly it was Anzu's revenge for Katsuya's comment on her costume.

_**F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--:--I-N-T-E-R-L-U-D-E-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--:--I-N-T-E-R-L-U-D-E-S**_

Shiro: (bangs head on desk)

Kaze: Somehow I'm not surprised that you got this out late.

Shiro: Just shut up.

Kaze: (smirks)

Shiro: And for once I have no comment on this interlude. I'm too sleepy and I want to watch another Naruto episode... (yawns)


	20. Chapter 18: Spring Break

Disclaimer: Saying I own Yugioh is like saying the world ended on June 6, 2006. It hasn't happened and it's not gonna happen. (Obviously, as it's way past that date)

_**-F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S-**_

_Chapter 18: Spring Break_

_**March 2007- Kame Game Shop**_

"Yugi, where do you keep the puzzles?" Tama asks.

Yugi looks up from some papers he's going through that make up the shop's inventory. "Top shelf of the storage room near the yo-yo's and ping pong balls."

Tama raises an eyebrow at the last item and then shakes her head muttering, "I don't want to know." Then she makes her way to the storage room.

While she does that, Yugi gives up on trying to decipher his grandpa's handwriting and decides to go to the kitchen to make a snack and get something to drink. "Tama, I'm going to get a snack! Do you want anything?"

"Cookie please!" Comes Tama's half-muffled reply before she shrieks and the sound of something falling is heard.

Yugi sweat drops and wonders if it wasn't the best idea to send his clumsy cousin into the hazardously cluttered storage room. Deciding that the storage room will most likely stay intact and that Tama won't accidentally kill herself by knocking over a shelf, Yugi walks into the kitchen and begins fixing his snack.

"Aibou," Yami appears beside Yugi in his more solid form. It's a new technique he recently learned so he can talk to the others and Yugi without having to switch with Yugi or relay messages through him.

Yugi jumps, not yet used to his darker half's random appearances. "M-mou hitori no boku! Is something wrong?"

Yami leans against the counter for a minute, trying to gain balance. Keeping an almost solid form can be taxing. "No, I just wanted to talk to you. I haven't been able to all day."

"Yeah, I had forgotten that Tama was coming over to help me with the shop. I'm sorry." Yugi apologizes. "And it won't be a good idea to stay out too long. She'll be coming back here any minute." He says, trying to open his bottle of soda. "Mou-"

"Hey Yugi, where's that cookie at?" Tama cheerfully asks, coming into the kitchen.

In a split second, Yami disappears back into Yugi's mind but it's not fast enough for Yumeri, who is already fed up with Bakura and Mariku's random take-overs.

"PHARAOH!" Yumeri roars, forcefully taking over with no warning what-so-ever.

Yugi squeaks and jumps nearly a foot into the air in surprise. "Tama? What-?" His question dies on his tongue once he gets a good look at his "cousin". "You're not Tama."

"Tell the pharaoh to get out here." Yumeri growls. "Or you can pass on this message to him; he had better not _dare _come out when my omote is around or there _will _be hell to pay! She will not know of my existence until I want her to know. And I will know if you try to drop hints, light of the pharaoh." She glares at him for a moment and then retreats back into her soul room.

Tama looks at Yugi hopefully. "Cookie?"

0-0-0-0-0-0

_**Virginia- March 10, 2007**_

"Rise and shiiiine!" Nixx sings, horribly off-key. "Wake up with a bright cheerful smiiiile! The biiirds are chirping! The suuuun is shining! All is joyful and briii--"

-WHAMPH!-

"Shut up, Nixxuss." Roman growls, before tugging his blankets up over his head. "I don't care whether we're leaving in an hour or in the next five minutes; I. Am. Sleeping. In."

Nixx just grins in an evil manner. "Okay, then I guess Ashling will just have to wait for you to get up. I'd better go tell her…"

In a matter of seconds Roman is out of his bed and rushing about the room getting dressed. Seconds after that he's out the bedroom door and running down the stairs, his raven black hair a complete mess.

Nixx whistles a happy tune and makes his way to Alexandrian's room to wake up his brown haired brother.

"NIXXUSS!!!" Roman roars. "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

Nixx just laughs and runs into Alexandrian's room onto to run headlong into his second older brother.

"What did you do this time? Pour ice water on his head or set loose that gerbil of yours in his bed again?" Alexandrian asks.

"Neither." Nixx replies. "I just told him that Ashling is here. Call it revenge for him telling me Damian was here with a rose that one morning."

The door to Alexandrian's room slams the rest of the way open and Nixx squeaks and hides behind Alex. Roman stands in the doorway breathing heavily.

"Move, Alex! I'm going to kill the blue-haired runt!" Roman yells.

Nixx immediately protests that his hair is turquoise and not blue, not even noticing that Alexandrian has stepped to the side and has told Roman, "Have at him.". Nixx does notice when Roman tackles him to the ground. It's doubtful that anyone would not notice that.

When the wrestling doesn't stop after five minutes, Alexandrian kicks them both out of his room so that he can get dressed and brush his hair. When he walks out into the hallway the two of them are still wrestling. Alexandrian just rolls his eyes and heads downstairs to eat breakfast.

Fifteen minutes later the doorbell rings; Ashling, Liam, and Damian have arrived.

"Nixx! Roman! Ashling, Liam, and Damian are here!" Mr. Lexus yells up the stairs.

Nixx and Roman sit up abruptly and hit heads, making themselves fall over backwards. They sit there in a daze for a minute and then scramble for the stairs.

Nixx reaches the bottom first, but only because he fell halfway down the stairs. Roman leaps over his little brother, nearly landing on Nixx's hair, and makes a beeline for Ashling and hugs her tightly when he reaches her. Then Nixx manages to get up and runs across the room and glomps Damian.

Liam looks back and forth between Damian and Ashling. "Well don't I feel loved."

"I am not hugging you." Alexandrian states.

Liam pales at the very idea of him and Alexandrian hugging. "Thank you for not hugging me. I'd probably have a heart attack."

"GET OFF OF ME!" Damian roars.

0-0-0-0-0-0

A hour later Nixx, Roman, Alexandrian, Damian, Ashling, and Liam are on a plane and are heading over to California where they'll meet up with Riley and then fly the rest of the way to Domino City.

This whole trip began with Damian and his brilliant plan for spring break. Knowing that they all somehow have the same week off for spring break, Damian began convincing the others to take a trip to see his old home. It took a while, but eventually he even managed to talk Riley into going.

So now they're on the plane and going to California and Nixx is making airplane jokes. Ashling, who is sitting next to him, is not happy.

"Nixx, shut up about the Arabic airlines joke!" Ashling hisses. "It's not funny!"

"Okay, okay." Nixx says. "But wait, is that--"

Roman hits Nixx in the head, keeping him from finishing the sentence and inevitably getting killed by Ashling.

Several hours, two barf bags, and one unconscious Nixx later they arrive at the airport in California and go find a spot to sit at while they wait for Riley to arrive

While they're waiting, Nixx rolls off of the bench they're on and wakes up. Apparently he fell asleep while he was unconscious.

"Ashling! Liam!"

The Phoenix twins look up and over in the direction the yell comes from and they both wave when they see that it's Riley who is lugging a yellow suitcase behind her.

Damian is on his feet and rushing over to help her in less than five seconds with a cheerful smile on his face. Nixx glares at Riley, feelings of jealously welling up inside of him.

Ashling looks at Nixx in concern and lays a hand on his shoulder. "Nixx, are you okay?"

Nixx shrugs off Ashling's hand and mutters, "I have to go to the bathroom."

Ashling watches in worry as Nixx walks away from them and through the crowd to the bathroom. _'Oh Nixx… one of these days you'll find someone. I'm sure of it.'_

0-0-0-0-0-0

/"This, my friends, is Domino City!"/ Damian exclaims happily, spinning around in a circle once. /"This isn't the area I lived, but it's pretty close! I can't wait to see what's changed and what hasn't. Come! To the Kame Game Shop!"/

Ashling, Nixx, Roman, and Liam follow their purple-haired companion without any hesitancy, while Alexandrian and Riley hold back a minute.

/ "Is he sane?"/ Riley asks.

/ "I've known him for about ten years and I still haven't figured that out."/ Alexandrian replies. / "And I don't think I ever will. Lets go catch up before we worry Ashling."/

The two catch up to their friends and together they walk around in search of the shop Damian mentioned. It becomes obvious after a half hour that they are hopelessly lost. And Nixx is hungry.

/ "Of we're not going to stop and ask directions, then lets at least stop and eat."/ Riley says. / "I would ask, but since I can't even speak Japanese it'd be pointless for me to even try."/

Damian stops walking and looks around. "Hmm… I could have sworn that--"

/ "Dami-kun,"/ Nixx whines, attaching himself to Damian's arm. / "I'm hungry. Feed me."/

"I'm hungry too." Ashling chimes in, attaching herself to Damian's other arm.

"Feed us." Nixx and Ashling say in unison.

Roman smirks, Alexandrian and Liam roll their eyes, Riley looks confused, and Damian exhales softly.

"Alright, lets go get food." Damian says.

While Nixx and Ashling cheer and let go of his arms to do a spontaneous victory dance, Damian repeats what he just said, only this time in English, so Roman, Alexandrian, and Riley can understand.

After asking directions for the nearest place to eat, they set off once again. This time they're looking for a place called, "Burger World".

0-0-0-0-0-0

Burger World- table 12

"Hey! Hands off my food!" Katsuya yells, smacking Honda's hands away from his fries. "You've got your own so don't eat mine!"

Tama slides into the space at the booth beside Katsuya with a chocolate milkshake in hand. With a grin she snags one of the fries and takes a bite. "Mmm… good fry."

"Tama!"

Honda, Shizuka, and Yugi laugh at the look on Katsuya's face and then each of them steal one of the blonde's French fries.

"Alright, this means war! Nobody steals Katsuya Jounouchi's fries and gets away with it!" Katsuya declares. "I challenge you to a spork fight!"

The others sweat drop.

"Katsuya, we don't have any sporks." Shizuka says. "And only Honda would be any challenge for you."

"Yeah, I suck at spork fights." Tama says. "I've lost count of the number of times that I've lost to Mokuba. Now _fry _fighting on the other hand…"

The others look amused at the thought of fighting using French fries and then Honda, Shizuka, Yugi, and Tama each steal another of Katsuya's fries.

"Guuuuuys!"

The other four just laugh, but they stop taking the blonde's fries so that he won't have to go get more. Then they begin discussing what they want to do while they're on spring break for the next eight or nine days.

While they're talking about spring break activities, Honda notices a rather odd group of people coming through the door.

"Check it out, that guy has purple hair." Honda says, pointing. "And there's a girl with blue hair."

Yugi and Shizuka look up and over in the direction that Honda's pointing while Katsuya and Tama turn around to look.

"Tama, doesn't that boy look familiar?" Yugi asks.

Tama looks at the purple-haired boy for a minute and then her eyes widen as she recognizes him. "I don't believe it…" Slipping out of her seat, she makes her way over to the group of teens who are talking in English. /"Damian Cerberus Mizu!"/ She exclaims in a rather angry tone to confuse her old friend.

Damian jumps and spins around, a look of astonishment on his face as he wonders who it is he's managed to piss off without even doing anything. He grins when he sees that it's Tama. /"Well if it isn't my original munchkin! Damn, have you shrunk or is it just me?"/ He pats Tama on the head.

Tama swats his hand away, but is unable to keep from smiling. "What are you doing here? And who are they?"

"They're my American buddies!" Damian says. "Introducing the Phoenix twins Liam and Ashling, the Lexus twins Roman and Alexandrian and their younger brother Nixxuss, and that's Riley Poplar. She's more Ashling and Liam's friend, but I think she's getting used to the rest of us."

Nixx glares at Riley when Damian smiles and winks at the blonde-haired girl.

/"Guys, this is my old pal Tamashira Muto."/ Damian says, switching back to English for Alexandrian, Roman, and Riley. /"And she has kindly volunteered herself as our Domino City guide!"/

Ashling and Liam snort and Tama rolls her eyes.

/"Dami'-kun, what have I told you about volunteering me for things before I even agree?"/ Tama sweetly asks, reaching up and grabbing his ear.

Damian yelps in pain. "I won't do it again!"

"Good boy." Tama says, pleased by Damian's words. Then she lets go of his ear.

/"Can you stop switching between Japanese and English?"/ Roman loudly asks. /"Some of us aren't gifted enough to understand what the hell you two are saying."/

/ "Damian told his friend our names and then introduced us to her and then Muto-san told Damian off for volunteering her without her permission."/ Ashling tells Roman, Alexandrian, and Riley.

/ "Please call me Tama. There's too many of us Muto's around here to use my last name."/ Tama says in English, to the surprise of everyone except Damian. / "Now come sit down over with me and a couple of my friends. You can order there."/

The U.S. group agrees, since they were going to find a place to sit and order anyway, and they follow Tama over to table twelve. Since there's not enough room for them all to sit in the round booth, they shove a different table over and grab a few chairs to make it bigger. While they're doing that, introductions are being made again.

Once they're all seated they give more in-depth introductions and start telling stories about how they met one another. Tama and Damian serve as the translators, because Katsuya, Honda, and Shizuka aren't the best at English; Roman and Alexandrian understand very little Japanese; and Riley doesn't know any Japanese at all.

"Liam and I met Damian one summer when we went down to visit our grandparents at their new lake house. That was back when we lived in New York." Ashling says. "Our grandmother had signed me, Liam, our little sister, and our younger cousin up for swimming lessons at the YMCA. Damian was also taking lessons and we just really hit it off. That was back _before _he started getting piercing and dying his hair crazy colors."

"She still holds my hair dying days over my head." Damian says, letting Liam translate what he's said.

"You forgot Damian's tatoo, Ash." Nixx says helpfully, only to shrink back when Damian glares at him. "I'm guessing… you _didn't _tell anyone. Oops."

/"What's going on?"/ Roman whispers.

/"Damian's about to tell us about his tatoo that Nixx spilled the beans about."/ Liam says.

/"You mean the one around his belly button? I already knew about that. He didn't get another one, did he?"/ Roman asks.

"YOU TOLD _ROMAN_!" Damian explodes, standing up.

Liam and Alexandrian promptly jerk the purple-haired boy down so he's sitting once again. People in the restaurant stare for a moment longer and then look away.

/"Buggering hell, Damian."/ Tama says. /"Calm down. It's not that big of a deal. Now,"/ She grins. /"You know you have to show it to us."/

Damian grumbles something as he stands up and then begins pulling up his purple t-shirt.

"Woo-hoo! Take it off, baby!" Nixx yells.

Damian shoots Nixx a 'shut-up-or-die' look and lifts up his shirt until it shows his stomach. Tattooed around his belly button is a red, black, and white dragon.

"Cool!" Comes the resounding exclamation in both languages.

"Damian, is that a belly button ring?" Yugi asks.

Damian turns red and jerks his shirt down hastily before sitting down. "I reserve the right to remain silent."

The ones who know Damian laugh at that statement, while Katsuya, Shizuka, Riley, and Honda just have amused smiles on their faces. Riley looks a little confused, but Roman and Alexandrian don't as they're heard that statement in Japanese before and have come to recognize it.

After a while longer of talking, eating, and French fry fights they leave Burger World so Tama can give the U.S. group a tour with the help of Honda, Katsuya, Yugi, and Shizuka.

From Burger World they head to Downtown City where all the shops and expensive restaurants are and from there they head to the game shop, passing by the park along the way.

When they get to the game shop, they find the rest of the Domingo group, with the exception of Malik and Mokuba, already there waiting for them. And so introductions are made for the third time that day.

They talk and get to know one another for a while and then Anzu asks a rather important question. One that makes an argument commence for the U.S. group.

"So where are you guys staying while you're here for spring break?"

Alexandrian, Roman, Nixx, Riley, Liam, and Ashling turn to look at Damian, assuming he's made arrangements for a place for them to stay.

Damian gulps and looks away. "It appears I've overlooked a uh… detail." He says sheepishly.

"Major detail! _Major _detail!" Ashling exclaims.

"Don't yell at my Damian" Nixx yells. "You were suppose to remind him!"

Ashling blanches while Damian yells, "I am _not _yours, Lexus!"

While Ashling, Damian, and Nixx get into a small argument over where they're going to stay and whose fault it is, Tama looks pleadingly at Seto.

"No, Tama." Seto says before his sister has a chance to say anything. "There's barely enough room for us in the house. And somehow I get the feeling that it would be a very bad idea to let Nixx sleep in the same room as Damian."

Understanding 'bad idea', 'Nixx', 'sleep', 'same room', and 'Damian', Roman says/"It would. Especially since Nixx would deem Damian molestable- again- and Damian wouldn't like that."/ He smirks when Damian and Nixx both glare at him.

"Lets at least help them find a place to stay." Tama says. "Like the Holiday Inn out there past the park."

/"Or a hotel with a swimming pool!"/ Nixx exclaims.

/"NO!"/ Ashling, Damian, Roman, Alexandrian, and Liam yell. If there's one thing they've learned it's that Nixx plus swimming pools equals trouble. Last time they went to the public pool they got kicked out because of inappropriate behavior. Of course, part of that was all Roman's fault.

Nixx pouts. /"You guys are no fun. Just because me and Roman got us kicked out that one time doesn't mean it'd happen again."/

/ "Yes you would."/ Liam and Ashling say in unison.

Over with the Domino group, they've begun they're own conversation while the others try to figure out where they're going to stay.

"Am I the only one who is horribly confused by all of this?" Anzu asks Yugi, Ryou, Katsuya, Shizuka, and Honda.

"I'm confused." Katsuya says.

Shizuka and Honda agree with the blonde and Yugi says that he's a little confused.

"What about you, Bakura? Do you know what's going on?" Yugi asks.

"From what I can gather… Damian forgot to make arrangements for them to stay in a hotel and now they're trying to figure out what to do." Ryou says.

"Yugi!" Damian calls to his old friend. "Can I use your phone? I need to see if the Holiday Inn will have room for us and what the cost will be."

Yugi nods. "Of course. Here, let me show you where it is."

Damian follows Yugi into the Game Shop, hoping to be able to easily fix the mess he's made. The others stay outside to talk a bit, although the language difference proves to be a bit of a problem.

The girls soon form a group off to the side and begin talking and laughing. The girls getting along serves as a bit of an ice breaker for the guys, who really don't know what to say until Nixx, hating the silence, yells out something random that gets the others to look at him oddly.

"What?" Nixx asks. "You all weren't talking and I had to say something. And it's not like I shouted out 'I love Damian' or anything." He defends, letting Liam repeat what he said in English for Roman and Alex.

Katsuya shrugs. "That's true. Hey, is your hair natural or did you dye it?"

Nixx blinks. "My hair? It's natural. My family is known for it's rainbow hair! I've got a cousin with green hair and a great-aunt or something who has bright red hair. I'm the first to have turquoise!" He puffs up proudly. "My bangs are dyed though. So are the ends of my hair."

"Weird, with your hair and eye color you would think you'd look a lot like that bastard Kaiba." Katsuya says. "But you don't look a thing like him and you're much nicer. And louder."

"Thank you!"

/"And not normal."/ Romans says after Liam translates.

/"And more girly."/ Alexandrian adds.

Nixx turns around to glare at his brothers, who both just put innocent expressions on their faces. Nixx rolls his eyes and says/"Yeah, that's _really _going to fool me."/

"Are they always like this?" Honda asks when the three brothers begin arguing with and teasing one another.

"They can get worse." Liam responds. "And then you want to get away from them. Far, far away. You never want to get caught in the middle of a Lexus family war. It's not pretty."

/ "_Itai_! Don't pull my hair, Roman!"/

Fifteen minutes later Damian and Yugi come out of the house and Damian informs his group that they'll be staying at the Holiday Inn and that they're going to have to share rooms because he only has enough money to pay for three rooms for a week. It's quickly decided that Ashling and Riley will share one room, Damian and Liam will share one room, and Roman, Nixx, and Alexandrian will share the third room.

Tama and Seto volunteer to show them the way to the hotel so that Damian doesn't get them lost. The U.S. group agrees, even Damian who usually refuses to admit that he gets lost.

Everyone says their goodbyes and then split up to go home, or in Tama and Seto's case take Damian and the others to the Holiday Inn.

0-0-0-0-0-0

The next day around ten o'clock, Tama goes to the hotel with Mokuba to pick up their new friends and take them to the arcade where they'll meet up without everyone. Tama retrieves Damian, Liam, and the girls while Mokuba is given the task of getting the Lexus brothers.

And who should answer the door to their room but a sleepy Nixx clad in a pink t-shirt and a pair of boxers with hearts on them. /"'lo?"/ He sleepily asks, before raising his eyes to get a good look at who is at the door. /"You're cute. I wanna hug you…"/

Mokuba squeaks when Nixx suddenly hugs him.

"T-Tama! Help!" He yells.

Riley's the first to come out into the hall and see what's going on. She raises an eyebrow and then says/"Tama, it appears that Nixx is hugging your young friend."/

"Hold on little buddy! I'm coming!" Tama cries, running out of Damian and Liam's room. She stops short at the sight of Nixx draped over Mokuba. / "Damn, I didn't think you were actually serious. I so wish I had a camera right now."/

As luck would have it Ashling and Liam have both brought camera's along with them and they both bring them into the hallway to take a picture or two.

"Can someone please get him off of me?" Mokuba asks pleadingly. "He's not heavy or anything, but this is kind of uncomfortable."

Roman finally drags himself over to the door and grabs the back of Nixx's t-shirt and pulls him off of Mokuba. /"Get in here and get dressed, _baka_. You'll scare the children. Not that I care about the stupid children..."/

/"Huh?"/

Roman shoves Nixx into their room and shuts the door, knowing that Nixx won't. By this time Damian has joined them in the hallway dressed in a dark blue t-shirt and a pair of old blue jeans.

"What'd Nixx do? He had to have done something." Damian says knowingly. "And since Tama was helping me get Liam up then that must mean that Mokuba was sent to wake up Roman, Alex, and Nixx." He gives Mokuba a small smile. "Nice to see you again, Mokuba. Hey!" His eyes light up and he looks from Mokuba and then to Tama. "You're taller than Tama now!"

Tama glares at him. "Keep it up purple-boy and I'll make sure you get so lost you can't tell up from down!"

Damian merely grins, knowing that she doesn't really mean it. "But Ashy's my new munchkin because she's even shorter than you are!"

"Dying a horrible, painful death." Ashling growls.

"Several times over; I know." Damian says. "So, are we going to the arcade or what? I need to show Roman who's the master of air hockey!"

The door to Roman, Alexandrian, and Nixx's room opens and the three brothers exit one at a time.

"I'm sorry for whatever I said or did while I was half asleep." Nixx says automatically. "It's too early to thiiin…" He trails off when he actually gets a good look at Mokuba. "You- you're so cute!"

Everyone else sweat drops and Mokuba looks distinctly uncomfortable.

"Lets roll out!"

0-0-0-0-0-0

At the arcade things start off smoothly. Anzu challenges Tama to DDR and Damian, Nixx, Mokuba, and Riley follow to watch; Roman and Ashling challenge one another to a race game and Alexandrian and Liam cheer on their respective twin; Katsuya and Honda are battling it out on the air hockey table and Shizuka is watching; Yugi is talking to Seto while playing packman; and Ryou and Malik have yet to arrive.

Later they all gather near the DDR game to watch Katsuya and Honda try to dance without tripping over their own two feet and Ashling is reminded of her very first vision as she looks around at all of the people she's met so far.

_//An older Ashling sits outside under the sun dressed in a simple pale blue shirt and a pair of jeans. Her blonde hair is pulled up on the top of her head in a messy ponytail and then pinned up by a clip. An older Liam sits beside her, dressed in similar attire._

_Soon an older Malik comes into the yard with an older Isis and a short-haired Tama. Malik takes a seat on the other side of Ashling and kisses her on the cheek. Tama and Isis sit down as well. Then and older Seto, Mokuba, and Kiba come out of the house talking excitably about something._

_For a few minutes it's just them sitting out there talking._

_Then an older Damian and Riley walk out into the yard, loudly discussing something. Max trails after them, putting in his two cents when he can. Behind them are Honda, Katsuya, Miho, and a long-haired Anzu who are all older as well._

_And older Yami and Yugi are after them, shortly followed by an older Bakura, Yumeri, Mariku, and a girl with reddish-brown hair named Holly. Ryou is after them, looking rather annoyed with the four._

_Next to arrive are Noa, Nixx, Roman, and Alexandrian. Noa and Nixx appear to be having an argument over something and Roman and Alexandrian aren't helping matters as usual._

_The last to walk out into the yard are Otogi and Shizuka, both older, who walk over to the ground hand-in-hand._

_After ten minutes or so of talking, Damian gets everyone to be quiet so he can show them something._

"_Alright, I've been working on this for nearly a year now and I've finally gotten it finished and can show you." Damian says, lifting up a large, covered, rectangular-shaped object. "I give you my grand masterpiece!"_

_Everyone gasps after he lifts off the cover and they see what it is. The main things that stick out in the painting are the two dragons flying in the sky, the silver wolf on the edge of the woods with a snow leopard, the cougar and golden retriever laying out in the sun, and two phoenix flying overhead with the dragons. Other animals are hidden within the picture.//_

Ashling opens her eyes in time to see Katsuya trip over his feet and inevitably lose the game. Honda laughs and does a little victory dance to rub in the fact he won.

"Do I even want to know?" Malik asks upon joining the rest of the group. He and Ryou have arrived just in time to watch Katsuya trip and fall.

"Hey Malik." Yugi greets. "Honda challenged Jounouchi and won because Jounouchi tripped and fell."

Malik laughs. "Same sillyness then." He says before glancing at Ashling and then looking at Yugi questioningly.

"Oh! Malik, this is one of Damian's friends. She's Ashling Phoenix. Ashling, this is Tama, Seto, and Mokuba's cousin, Malik Ishtar." Yugi introduces.

Ashling puts a smile on her face, shoving the memory of the Vision to the back of her mind, and turns to say hello to Malik. Her greeting dies before it even has a chance to leave her mouth when she sees Malik. Her mind brings up the Vision for a second time.

Despite the effects of the Vision, Ashling reacts on one word that her mind and instincts are screaming; she bolts.

"Ash!" Liam yells after her. He curses when she doesn't even slow down. _'Not again, damn it.' _He breathes deeply

Subconsciously he tries to pick up on Ashling who, being his twin, he should be able to pick up on. _'The last time she fled like this she headed straight for the woods and the river. And it seems like she's heading… to the park!'_

While Liam is lost in his thoughts, the others have begun putting together a search party.

"I'll take the park." Malik volunteers.

"Alright." Seto says with a nod. "Who will go with him?"

Liam looks around and when nobody speaks up right away he volunteers. "I'll go."

"So that settles it." Seto says. "Katsuya, Honda, Tama, and Roman are checking downtown; Mokuba, Alex, Nixx, and I are going to the uptown area; Yugi, Shizuka, and Anzu are going back to the Game Shop area; Bakura, Damian, and Riley are going to go check the hotel and wait there; and Malik and Liam are going to search the park." Seto pauses for a moment to make sure there's no objections. "We'll meet up in one hour outside the Holiday Inn. It'll be around one o'clock then." He glances at the group that's going downtown. "Be careful."

Riley, Roman, and Alexandrian look puzzled for a moment before Ryou, Tama, and Nixx translate for them.

Once everyone know the plan, they split up into their groups and head to their assigned spots.

0-0-0-0-0-0

One o'clock comes and goes with no sign of Ashling. Liam and Malik are also missing, which makes Damian, Anzu, and Mokuba worried. Or more accurately, Anzu and Mokuba are worried and Damian is well passed being _just _worried and is starting to panic.

"Something horrible could have happened to them and we're just _sitting _here doing _nothing_! What if they've been kidnapped? Or fallen in a hole!" Damian gasps in fear. "Oh gods, what will I tell their parents? _Mr. Phoenix is gonna kill me_!"

/"Chill, Damian. We're alive."/

Damian, along with everyone else, turns around to see that Malik, Ashling, and Liam are alive and well.

"Liam! Ashling! Thank the- why's Malik carrying Ash? Did something happen?" Damian fretfully asks.

Roman narrows his eyes at the blonde boy. '_Why isn't Liam carrying her? She'd never let a practical stranger carry her or even touch her except to shake her hand.'_

"She fainted is all." Malik says.

"I think she had a bit of a panic attack and then got overheated. Toss in her stress over her… Sight and things get worse." Liam elaborates. "She'll be fine though. She just needs to rest a bit and drink some water. You all can go hang out and see the sights while I head up to our rooms and stay with Ash." He says.

"That's not very fair." Anzu argues. "Shizuka and I could stay here with her. Being in female company may do her some good."

Shizuka nods in agreement.

"I'll stay too." Tama volunteers.

There's a moments pause as Mokuba translates for Riley, Roman, and Alex.

/"And if they're staying, then I'm staying."/ Riley says. /"And I want to talk to Ashling about something without the risk of the guys overhearing anyway."/

Nixx grins. /"Can I-"/

/"No, Nixx."/ Roman, Alexandrian, Liam, and Damian say in unison.

Nixx pouts cutely and then glances over at Mokuba.

Liam notices where he's looking. "On second thought, go hang out with the girls and stop hitting on poor Mokuba."

Mokuba turns bright red and Nixx looks away from the raven-haired boy protesting, "I do not!"

Damian stops the argument that's sure to come and then the guys and girls split up. Once the girls are inside with Ash, the guys split up even further. Ryou and Yugi go back to their homes; Katsuya, Honda, Damian, and Roman go back to the arcade, having not been able to do everything they wanted; and Alexandrian, Nixx, Liam, Malik, Seto, and Mokuba just walk around aimlessly and go into random shops along the way.

Things remain this way until after dinner when everyone goes home or, in the U.S. group's case, the place they're staying.

0-0-0-0-0-0

The next day they split up into groups again, finding it easier to go places and find things to do in smaller groups. This time they split into different groups.

Seto and Tama take Ashling, Riley, and Nixx to the mall since they're the only ones who have expressed interest in going. Anzu, Shizuka, Honda, Katsuya, and Damian decide to go downtown to check out odd shops there. Everyone else- Roman, Yugi, Malik, Alexandrian, Liam, and Mokuba- decide on walking around Domino City to see what they can find to do.

At lunchtime they all meet in the park and then go out to eat lunch at a restaurant that Malik and Nixx, being vegetarians, won't mind eating at.

After pushing several tables together and ordering their food and drinks, the conversation takes off.

To Damian's relief, the seating arrangements are mixed between the two group and nobody seems too uncomfortable. Even Riley is joking around with Anzu, Shizuka, and Tama. (With Tama being the translator)

'_Everyone's getting along great!'_ Damian happily thinks, but quickly amends this thought when Roman throws a glare at Malik. _'Okay, maybe not everyone. But why's Roman mad at Malik? He's just sitting there next to Ash.' _He pauses on that thought. _'Oh… Roman likes Ash and she hasn't paid him much attention. I'm surprised she's sitting next to Malik though, what with that weird Vision and all.'_

"…mian! Damian!" Seto bops the purple-haired boy upside the head after trying and failing to get his attention for the fifth time.

Damian reaches a hand up and rubs the spot on his head that Seto hit. "That hurt. What do you want?"

"You never told us how long you're staying here." Seto says. "And how did you get enough money to do this?"

"We're leaving on the morning of the 18th." Damian tells the tall brunette. "And I've been saving money from mowing lawns, weeding gardens, babysitting, and from selling apples, pumpkins, flowers, and some of my paintings. I also got a job as soon as I turned fifteen. This trip used up just about all of my money." He sighs heavily. "But it was worth it."

/"Since when have Malik and Ash been so close?"/ Alexandrian suddenly whispers so that Roman (who's slowly shredding lettuce while glaring at Malik) doesn't hear him. /"I think she's actually flirting with him!"/

Damian curiously looks over at Ashling and Malik and raises an eyebrow when he sees the two bickering about something. Judging by the gesturing to one another's plate, the argument is over their food preferences. /"Alex, if you call that flirting then you're more hopeless than I thought."/

Alexandrian shrugs. /"Maybe."/

0-0-0-0-0-0

The rest of the week speeds by, with new friendships growing stronger than they could have imagined at the beginning. Malik and Ashling are rarely seen without the other; Roman spends most of his time with Katsuya and Honda; Nixx has taken to trailing after Mokuba like a lost puppy; Riley spends almost all her time with Anzu, Shizuka, and Tama; and Liam's formed a good friendship with Anzu, Yugi, Ryou, and Malik.

When the day comes that the U.S. group has to depart, nobody is too thrilled. They delay leaving for as long as possible, and nearly leave Nixx behind when he clings to a startled Mokuba at the airport, but eventually they get on the plane and head back home.

Spring break has officially come to an end.

_**-F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S-**_

Shiro: I spent a remarkable amount of time on this chapter. I am so happy to have finally gotten it typed up. Urg... it seems I've begun slowing down when it comes to getting these things written and typed up. I need to start actually setting aside time to do it. Yes, that would be smart...

Bast: Please excuse her, it was late when she typed this up.

Shiro: Oh, hush.

(a crashing noise is heard)

Shiro: ANGUIS! Damn that dragon!

Bast: It's your fault for starting the muse adoption agency.

Shiro: It's not my fault that the pipes exploded, flooding the building they were housed in! Now all those muses are stuck here in my head!

Bast: It's a wonder you're not overwhelmed by ideas.

Shiro: Ha ha.

Bast: (smiles)

Shiro: (sighs) If anyone wants to know what we're talking about, then go to my profile and click on the 'homepage' link there. It'll take you a little freewebs website I made with the help of a friend of mine.

NEXT CHAPTER: _summer, secrets, and traveling_


	21. Chapter 19: An Unwanted Surprise

Disclaimer: Saying I own Yugioh is like saying the world ended on June 6, 2006. It hasn't happened and it's not gonna happen. (Obviously, as it's way past that date)

_**-F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S-**_

_Chapter 19: An Unwanted Surprise_

Two months have passed since spring break and school is beginning to come to and end. For most of them it means that the next school year will be their last unless they fail or go to college.

Sometime during the past two months there have been two new additions to the Domino City group: Otogi and Miho. Otogi became an "official" member of the group after he managed to befriend Tama over an important history project and saved Shizuka when some guys were picking a fight with her. Honda is the reason that Miho is in the group, as he has finally gotten the blue-haired girl to go out with him.

Mai is commonly seen with the girls when she has time off from her job at a club in downtown Domino, but she isn't included as part of the main group.

One night toward the end of school the girls- Tama, Anzu, Shizuka, Mai, and Miho- decide they need a girl's night out. With his sister out of the house and Malik and Mokuba having other plans, Seto decides to ask Katsuya he has wanted to ask for a while now.

0-0-0-0

"Seto! Have you seen my blue bandana?" Tama yells from upstairs where she is getting ready for her night out with the other girls.

"Mokuba had it last! Check his top dresser drawer!" Seto yells back. With a sigh, he takes a seat on the couch and picks up the cordless phone on the table beside the couch. He winced when he hears Tama stumble and fall. Then he dials Katsuya and Shizuka's phone number.

"_Hello?" _Shizuka answers the phone, almost completely out of breath.

"Hello Shizuka. Is Katsuya there?" Seto asks, not even noticing his slip-up of referring to the blonde by his first name.

Shizuka giggles. _"Yeah. I'll put him on."_

Seto only has to wait a few seconds before Shizuka hands the phone to her brother.

"_Seto?"_

Seto smiles at the sound of Katsuya's voice. "Hey Jounouchi, are you doing anything tonight?"

There is a moment of pause on the other end as Katsuya tries to recall if he made any plans. _"No. Why?"_

"Meet me at the park at the gazebo near the pond in twenty minutes."

0-0-0-0

Twenty minutes later Seto is sitting by himself in the gazebo, waiting for Katsuya to arrive. Every few seconds he glances down at the watch around his wrist, wondering where Katsuya is.

A minute or so later Katsuya runs into the gazebo panting heavily. He waits and catches his breath before he says anything. "Sorry I'm late. I had to explain to my dad where I was goin' and how long I'll be out. I told him I'd be back by ten. I know that doesn't give us much time or anything." He shrugs. "But I don't live in the best neighborhood, so I can't stay out late."

Seto looks concerned. "What about Shizuka? I have a feeling that she'll be out pretty late with the other girls."

"She's going to stay over at Anzu's tonight." Katsuya replies. "Dad practically made her find someone who would let her sleep over. He probably would have agreed to let her sleep over at Honda's if he had to. And that's not normal, since dad even hates it when I have Honda over at our place even for a minute or two."

"What if you were to stay with myself, Mokuba, Tama, and Malik for the night?" Seto asks.

Katsuya shakes his head. "No. I'd feel better being with dad. He's still-" He cuts himself off, not wanting to get into his dad's old drinking problems. "He's not feeling well." He finishes lamely.

Seto frowns, getting the feeling that Katsuya is hiding something from him, but decides not to push it. For now. Instead he holds out a hand and asks, "Ready to go?"

Katsuya takes Seto's hand. "Lets go."

0-0-0-0

_**June 10, 2007**_

Isis Ishtar, now twenty-one years old, steps out of the busy Domino City airport and looks around. With her head held high, she walks away from the building carrying a single beige bag. She has only one destination in mind:

_10 Taiga Road_

_Domino City, Japan._

0-0-0-0

Noon finds the residents of the Dragon's Den outside doing yard work and goofing off. Tama and Mokuba are pulling weeds from around the house where the bushes and flowers are, Seto is clipping the bushes back, and Malik is inside getting them all something to drink.

"Break time!" Malik cheerfully announces, walking out onto the porch with a tray. "I've got lemonade and cookies. Odd combination, but it's still good!"

"It's a snack and a drink, so I'm not gonna complain." Tama says as she pulls off her dirt and grass stained gloves and sticks them in the pocket of her overalls.

Mokuba does the same as Tama while Seto puts the shears he was using away in the garden box beside him.

Then they all join Malik on the porch and sit down to enjoy the snack. About ten minutes into their break the phone rings and Seto and Mokuba race to get it, leaving Tama and Malik alone on the porch. Then Malik's Instant Messenger alert goes off upstairs and Malik excitedly goes to answer the message, knowing that it's Ashling.

This leaves Tama all alone on the porch with the tray on which the plate of cookies and the glasses of lemonade rest. With a soft sigh, she lies down on the cool concrete and closes her eyes to give them a break from the bright summer sun.

She ends up drifting in and out of consciousness for a few minutes as she waits for her brothers to return from their phone call.

"Excuse me, miss?"

Tama's eyes snap open and she sits up quickly to see whom the unfamiliar voice belongs to. She looks in confusion at the dark skinned woman in front of her. "Yes? Can I help you?"

"My name is Isis Ishtar. I'm looking for my younger brother Malik."

Tama's eyes widen. "You-" She cuts herself off. "Come inside. I'll get Malik." She stands up, picking up the tray as she does so. Carefully balancing the tray in one hand, she manages to open the door without dropping anything. "Would you like anything to drink, Miss Ishtar?"

"No thank you, Miss…?" Isis trails off, realizing she doesn't even know her cousin's name.

"Tamashira Muto. But please call me Tama." She says. "I need to put this tray in the kitchen and then I'll get Malik. If you'd like, you can go into the living room. My brothers Seto and Mokuba should be in there. Seto's the tall one."

Isis gives a short bow. "Thank you."

"We're family, and its no problem." Tama says dismissively.

Ten minutes later Isis is seated comfortably in a chair across from the couch Mokuba and Seto are on. The three of them are exchanging childhood stories, some with Malik in them and others without.

Upstairs Tama is trying to coax Malik to go downstairs with her without revealing that his sister is there.

"Come on Malik, I've got a surprise for you downstairs." Tama says. "You have to come down."

Malik waves her off. "Tama, this is one of the few times that Ash and I have been up at the same time!"

Tama raises an eyebrow. "Oh, so she's 'Ash' now, is she?" She asks teasingly, already making a plan to get him to go downstairs.

Malik blushes and mutters, "Shut up."

Tama grins. "Malik and Ashling sitting in a tree!"

Malik types a quick last note to Ashling before he jumps up out of his chair. "That's it! Prepare to face my wrath!"

Tama laughs and starts running for the stairs. "K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love," She squeaks as Malik nearly catches up to her and then jumps down the remaining stairs. "Then comes marriage," She dashes through the living room and ducks behind the couch.

"Then comes Malik with a baby carriage!" Mokuba finishes the song.

"TAAAAAAAMMMMMAAAAAAAAA!" Malik roars, leaping down the last few stairs. He stops short when he sees Isis sitting on the couch. His eyes widen and he takes a step back in disbelief. "I- Isis?"

Isis smiles softly. "Hello Malik."

Malik nearly faints in shock, but quickly manages to recover. "How- why? How?"

"Articulate today, aren't we?" Tama teases from her spot behind the couch.

"Father passed away recently. I believe it was due to a heart attack." Isis explains. "I took the chance to get out of there and come find you, as you are now the head of the Ishtar family."

The shock Malik felt when he first saw his sister returns. "I- WHAT?!"

"You are now the head of the Ishtar family." Isis repeats. "He may have been angry that you left all those years ago, but he still had you named as the heir. If you don't mind, there are some things you need to know."

Malik crosses the room and takes a seat on the couch beside Mokuba. Tama takes that as her cue to get out from behind the couch to join them on it by squeezing in beside Mokuba and Seto murmuring an affectionate, "Budge up, brat."

Mokuba gets up so Tama can sit and then gets back on the couch and lies across their laps with his head resting on the armrest on Seto's side.

"Go ahead." Malik tells Isis. "What does being the head of the family involve?"

"First, you're entitled to the Ishtar family fortune which is made up of gold, old texts, legends, and tablets located within the tomb." Isis says. "You are allowed to abolish old Ishtar rules-"

"Good." Malik interrupts. "The first one to go is the whole 'the tomb keepers must remain underground until the pharaoh returns' thing. I mean, how the hell is the pharaoh suppose to find us underground? And who says he'll ever return?"

Isis sighs heavily. "The next thing is that you must find a wife by the time you're eighteen if you expect to lead the family."

Malik blinks once. And then twice. "WHHHHAAAAT!?"

"Luckily for you, mother has done that for you." Isis continues. "When she was a young girl she and her best friend made a pact that if one of them had a daughter and the other a son and the two were around the same age then the two would marry. By using a combination of magic and technology I have found out that her best friend has two daughters and a son, all of whom are close to your age."

"Well damn." Tama mutters.

"Yeah, that about sums it up." Malik says.

"I apologize for breaking the news so early," Isis says. "but you really did need to know as soon as possible. I have plane tickets to America for five days from now."

"So soon?" Seto questions.

Isis nods. "Yes. I assumed it would be best if they have the summer to get to know one another."

Malik is silent for a moment, mixed emotions swirling around his mind clouding his judgment and actions. He gestures to Mokuba to let him up and Mokuba obediently moves his legs off of Malik's lap.

Eyes cast to the ground, Malik gets up and walks upstairs without a word. Seconds later they hear a door shut.

"I suppose he took it better than I expected him to." Seto comments coldly. "Miss Ishtar, you are lucky he didn't explode with you telling him he has to find a wife by the time he's eighteen. You'll be lucky if any of us get him out of that room in time to leave." He glances down at Mokuba. "Let me up. I'm going to go talk to Malik. You and Tama can get changed and start on dinner. Tama, you can either borrow my clothes or convince Mokuba to let you borrow something of his."

Mokuba sits up so that Seto can get up and then he and Tama wait until Seto has gone upstairs before they stand up.

"You'll have to excuse Seto. He's really protective of all of us." Tama says. "Come on, I'll show you to the guestroom, Isis. Mokuba, go on upstairs and change. And if you'll let me borrow something of yours then just set it out for me."

Mokuba nods and then goes upstairs to get changed while Tama stays downstairs and takes Isis to the guestroom down the hallway from the living room. Once Tama's done, she heads upstairs to change into clean clothes. Then she and Mokuba go back downstairs to start on dinner with help from Isis.

The days pass rather solemnly with little to no sight of Malik, who remains locked in his and Tama's room unless he has to use the bathroom. Seto is the only one he lets in, so Tama sleeps in Mokuba and Seto's room and cuddles with Mokuba all night.

In the four days before they leave, the three Muto's get to know Isis and find they getting along well with their cousin, although they do find her a little strict.

On the fifth day Isis is here, which is also the day she and Malik are leaving for the U.S., Malik finally comes out of his room dressed and ready to go with his suitcase and another bag packed.

The others, including Isis, are surprised by this since they all expected Malik to refuse to go and remain locked up in his room.

The blonde Egyptian remains quiet throughout the entire morning and even throughout the ride to the airport and the long flight to California. He speaks at the California airport, but it's only to tell Isis he's going to get something to eat and ask her if she wants anything. After that he falls silent once more.

Several hours and two more airplane flights later they land at the final airport in North Carolina and Isis rents a car so they can get to wherever it is they're going. By this time, Malik is wiped out and tired of airplanes, so when he gets in the car after putting his stuff in the trunk he's out in a matter of minutes.

Over three hours later Isis pulls into a gravel driveway and pulls down to where five other cars are, one of which looks like it's being worked on, and parks the car.

"Malik," Isis gently taps her brother's shoulder. "Malik, wake up. We're here."

Malik cracks open his eyes and then sits up straight and yawns while stretching out his arms. He curses when his hand hit's the side of the car.

Isis frowns but says nothing about Malik's language. "Lets go, Malik. They should be expecting us."

Malik grumbles something under his breath and then opens the car door and gets out. Once he shuts the door he stretches again, this time without hitting anything.

Unable to stall the inevitable, Malik finds himself inside the house with Isis in less than five minutes. He shifts uncomfortably as the father, a man with dark brown hair and blue eyes, glares at him. A few feet away from him Isis converses easily with the mother, a woman with highlighted blonde hair and blue eyes.

"Kids, come downstairs!" The mother yells up the stairs.

"Coming!" Comes four different voices, two of which are guys'.

It takes less than a minute for the first person to get downstairs, a fourteen-year-old girl with light brown hair that falls above her shoulders and with blue eyes.

Malik's eyes widen when he sees the next girl coming down the stairs. Long blonde hair cascades down her back and to her hips even up in a ponytail and blue eyes peer out from beneath fluffy bangs. She pauses before she gets to the bottom of the stairs to get a look at Malik and her eyes widen in shock.

_**-F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S-**_

Shiro: Oooo, who could the girl possibly be?

Kaze: (snorts) Oh please, it's-

Shiro: (quickly covers Kaze's mouth) Don't say it out loud! You'll ruin it!

Kaze: (smacks Shiro's hand away) What I was going to say was that it's one of your idiotic original characters and obviously not anyone from the show. Unless it's Mai, but that'd be plain weird. Not to mention Mai's eyes are violet and her bangs frame her face.

Shiro: -.-

Kaze: (smirks) My work here is done.

Shiro: (growls) I hate you.

Bast: On a better note, Shiro has found one of the funniest things on youtube(dot)com that is Yugioh related. It's called Yugioh! The Abridged Series and it's kind of stupid, but in a really funny way. I just _love _Mai's nickname. And the death of Tristan's voice. And-

Shiro: Don't say anything else about it! Jeez!

Bast: (grins) Right. Anyway, if you ever need something to laugh about then head over to youtube(dot)com and check out Yugioh! The Abridged Series by LittleKuriboh. There's 14 episodes so far.

NEXT CHAPTER: Discovery and memories


	22. Interlude 3: Thanksgiving

Interlude Three: Holidays 2- Thanksgiving

**November 23, 2006**

0-0-0

"Mmm… something smells good!" Liam comments as he walks out of the living room of the lake house and into the kitchen area. "Is there anything I can do?"

Ashling rolls her eyes. "Li, the last time you decided to cook the kitchen was practically destroyed. And that was just with you trying to make macaroni and cheese. We are _not _going through that _again_. Now why don't you go watch the game with the rest of the guys."

Damian clears his throat loudly.

"With the exception of Damian, who is too effeminate to watch football." Ashling corrects herself.

Damian glares at her briefly and then goes back to helping Grandmother Phoenix with the green beans.

Liam grumbles something about Ashling not being any better at cooking as he leaves the kitchen to rejoin the rest of the guys, with the exception of Damian.

"So exactly how many are we feeding?" Damian asks, looking at all of the food setting out.

"Well…" Ashling pauses a moment to think, being the only one not busy doing something. "there's you, me, Liam, my mom and dad, Cheyenne, my grandparents, my aunt and uncle, and my two cousins… How many are we, mom?"

"Twelve." Mrs. Phoenix replies.

Damian looks around at all of the food. "So you're telling me that we have four pies, two large plates of turkey and one large plate of ham, two trays of devilled eggs, two plates of rolls, a large bowl of stuffing, green beans, and various other things in huge bowls and plates for _twelve people_. Are you all _crazy_?"

"Damian, normally it's just eleven of us." Tullia reminds. "Although if you had come the last four times the twins invited you then we would have had twelve each time."

Damian shrugs. "Yeah, that's true. It's just that my father was suppose to come home… anyway, I'm here now! When can we eat?"

"It should be ready in fifteen minutes." Grandmother Phoenix says. "Everyone start carrying in the dishes and setting up the table."

"Hurrah! Food!" Liam yells from the living room. "Lets eat!"

Ashling snorts. "Yeah, as if you and uncle haven't eaten enough with all of the food you've been sneaking from the kitchen!" She yells back. "You crazy bottomless pit!"

"You can't talk, Ash!" Liam yells back. "You eat just as much as I do!"

Damian covers Ashling's mouth with his hand. "Stop fussing with your twin and help me and Tullia get food into the dining room. It's going to be our final chore for the day." He removes his hand from Ashling's mouth and picks up a bowl of green beans.

"Rest and relaxation here I come!" Ashling exclaims. "I just love Thanksgiving! It's the one day you can eat as much as you want to and not get made fun of for it." She picks up the two plates of rolls. "Lets roll!"

"Ash, that's a horrible attempt at a joke." Tullia informs her cousin.

"Gee, thanks."

0-0-0

**Lexus House of Insanity**

"Boys, time to eat!" Mrs. Lexus yells up the stairs. "Hurry up!"

Roman, Alexandrian, and Nixx come running out of their bedrooms, sounding very much like a herd of stampeding elephants. Mrs. Lexus barely has time to move out of the way before all three of her son's fly down the stairs and zoom past her into the dining room.

"FREEZE!"

Roman, Alexandrian, and Nixx all skid to a halt, nearly falling over one another from stopping so suddenly.

"Hey, what gives?" Nixx asks.

Fiona Lexus, the fiery red-haired cousin of Roman, Alexandrian, and Nixx, stands in front of them glaring. "You will not run into the dining room." She growls.

All three boys gulp. If it's one thing they've learned, it's that you do not mess with Fiona.

"Hands washed? Hair pulled back? Decent clothes?" She asks rapidly.

"Yes…" All three boys grumble, not meeting her eyes.

"Good." Fiona smirks. "Now calmly take a seat at the table and place your napkins in your lap and _be quiet_."

All three boys obey without hesitation, not wanting to pluck their cousin's nerves and get her flaming temper started.

And that's about how their Thanksgiving goes, completely structured, abnormally calm, and with very little talking.

Roman twitches the entire time and glares at Fiona when he can get away with it. Alexandrian calmly sits there chanting under his breath, "She's leaving tonight. She's leaving tonight.". Nixx is also twitching, but he alternates between doing that and messing with the bottom of his light blue shirt, not used to wearing shirts that cover his stomach at home.

Mr. and Mrs. Lexus are unfazed by it all and enjoy the peace and quiet that they have while it lasts. After all, peace and quiet is very rare at the Lexus house.

_**F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--:--I-N-T-E-R-L-U-D-E-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--:--I-N-T-E-R-L-U-D-E-S**_

Shiro: I'm sorry for the lateness of this interlude. See, I was at my grandparents during Thanksgiving and through that weekend so I didn't get to type it up and then I was having a problem getting this chapter uploaded... and then I sort of forgot about it until now. Oops.

Happy Holidays!

Next Interlude- Love At First Sight (aka the Roman and Ashling interlude)


	23. Chapter 20: Unveiling

Disclaimer: Saying that I own Yugioh is like saying that the whole world loves George W. Bush. It just ain't true.

_**-F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S-**_

Chapter 20: Unveiling

"Malik!" She yells happily, running the rest of the way down the stairs. She nearly slips and falls on the rug, but balances herself out with a practiced grace and then practically jumps into Malik's arms in her happiness, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Malik laughs and wraps his arms around her waist before he kisses her on the cheek. "I can't believe it's you, Ashling. I can't tell you how relieved I am that it's you."

Ashling nods. "Same here."

"No frickin' way." Liam says from the stairs. Damian is right beside him with an expression of shock on his face.

"You two already know one another?" Isis asks the question running through the minds of everyone who wasn't part of the Spring Break group. She reaches up to grasp the golden necklace around her neck, a feeling of confusion surrounding her.

"We met on Spring Break when Damian brought her, Liam, and their friends to Domino City." Malik explains. 'Thank Ra for that.'

Isis frowns, looking between the two with a puzzled look on her face. She says nothing more on the subject though.

0-0-0

A few days later things have settled down at the Phoenix house. Isis has been given the spare room in the basement and Malik stays with Damian since there's no room for him to sleep at the Phoenix's house. There would be, but Mr. Phoenix refuses to let Malik sleep in Ashling and Liam's room with them.

Damian and Malik don't mind very much since they get along pretty well, but Ashling's a little upset since it means she can't spend as much time with Malik that she wants since she has a job at the arcade and at the local animal shelter and they take up most of her day hours. She gets her wish of spending the entire day with Malik one weekend, but it comes at a cost.

The particular weekend she has off is the weekend that family on her and Liam's dad's side begin to arrive at the lake house her grandparent's own. And so, the Phoenix family plus Isis, Malik, and Damian pile in 2 cars and head to the lake house to spend the weekend with the relatives.

That can only mean trouble.

0-0-0

"Hello Ashling and Liam's relatives!" Damian yells loudly as they walk onto the bottom deck facing the lake.

"Why don't you just adopt him and get it over with, Uncle." Jokes the oldest of the cousins, Ayla. "You know you want to."

Jokingly, Damian turns to face Ashling and puts a pleading look on his face. "Ashy, adopt me! I'm a cute cuddly kitty-loving person with purple hair! Behold it's purple glory-ness."

Ashling rolls her eyes and pats Damian on the head. "You'll live." Then she tugs Malik onto the actual deck so she can introduce him. "Everyone, this is Malik Ishtar. Play nice with him!"

Ayla's younger sister, Kathreen, leans over toward Ayla and whispers, "I thought Aunt Mary wasn't letting us have friends over this year. I can understand why Damian's here since he's practically a member of the family."

Cheyenne, having overheard the conversation, snorts. "It's just because he's her stupid fiance. And that's only because of this stupid arranged marriage crap. If it weren't for that he wouldn't even be here and those two would never have seen one another again."

"Cheyenne!" Ashling angrily shouts, letting go of Malik's hand. "How dare you say that!"

"It's the truth!" Cheyenne yells back.

"ENOUGH!" Liam and Damian yell in unison.

"This is not the way we want to start out summer gathering." Liam says seriously. "Cheyenne, lay off of Ashling and Malik. Ash, don't let her get to you when she says things like that." He breathes in deeply and lets it out slowly. "Malik, Dami', Ash, lets take our stuff inside and let the news sink in."

0-0-0

Things are not off to a good start for the summer family gathering. While it usually takes at least four or five days before the trouble starts, trouble has begun on the first day.

Cheyenne breaking the news that early has gotten Ashling, Liam, Damian, and Malik upset with the fourteen-year-old. Even Ayla and Tullia, Ashling and Liam's oldest cousins, are a little upset with her. Every else find themselves disliking Malik and blame him for the arranged marriage situation.

The little group of four does their best to ignore any comments, although Liam and Damian have to be by Ashling's side to calm her down at all times so she doesn't do anything regrettable.

Almost every single night Ashling sneaks into the room her brother, Damian, and Malik are sleeping in and cuddles with one of them. Usually it's Damian, since he has the most comforting presence.

But as it is in any house with a bunch of people in it, things do get found out. Fortunately Ashling was found in their room on a night she decided to cuddle with her twin, so she didn't get a long lecture.

The summer family gathering ends in less than two weeks, just long enough for Ashling's nerves to be frayed to no end and her temper tested to the point she starts crying at night.

Thankfully for them, the one person who can easily make Ashling feel better returns two days after all the relatives leave.

0-0-0

"Holly!!!" Ashling squeals happily upon seeing her friend.

"Ashy!!!" Holly squeals back, dropping her luggage so she can run up and give Ashling one of her bone-crushing hugs. "I've missed you soooo much!"

Holly Elm has returned.

0-0-0

**July 1, 2007- Domino City- Dragon's Den**

The entire gang- Yugi, Katsuya, Anzu, Honda, Shizuka, Ryou, Otogi, Miho, Seto Mokuba, Tama, and even Blue- is gathered at the Dragon's Den awaiting the return of Malik, Isis, and Malik's betrothed.

Little do they know, the brother of Malik's betrothed is tagging along with them and almost all of them know the two newcomers.

"Remember, we need to make her feel welcome without overwhelming her." Tama says for what is now the fifth time that day.

Seto lays a hand on his sister's shoulder. "Tama, it will be find. We know to be careful and not scare her away."

"I-"

Whatever Tama was about to say gets cut off by the sound of the front door opening.

"I'm home!" Malik calls cheerfully. "Who wants to meet my wonderful betrothed?!"

Seto, Tama, and Mokuba exchange confused glances and then lead everyone out into the hall where they all receive one of the many shocks of their lives.

Ashling waves to the group. "Hello everyone! It's great to see you again!"

Liam pops up over Ashling's shoulder in an attempt to scare everyone more. "The Phoenix twins have returned! Hello dragons and friends and…" He spots Blue trying not to be noticed at the back. "… tall creepy man."

Ashling promptly hits Liam in the back of the head. "Be nice!"

"Oww…" Liam mutters.

"Well this explains your cheerfulness." Blue comments. "It's nice to see you again, Miss Ashling."

Ashling smiles. "Nice to see you again too, Blue."

Lima looks at Ashling in confusion. "Who is he and how do you know him?"

"Please allow me to introduce myself formally." Blue says, walking out from behind the larger group. "My name is Alasdair Albion, but you can call me Blue. I'm Shira, Seto, Mokuba, and Malik's personal bodyguard."

Silence fills the room as the news sinks in to those who didn't already know.

"Bodyguard?" Miho asks quietly.

Blue proceeds to explain exactly why the four teens need him for a bodyguard, something that takes longer than before because of Otogi and Liam's multiple questions.

That night Malik, Isis, Ashling, and Liam go to bed before everyone else leaves in an attempt to catch up on lost sleep from the time difference.

**July 3, 2007**

"It's getting harder to hide ourselves." Yumeri comments to Bakura and Mariku early one morning at the park. "We may have to--"

"Are you stupid?" Bakura interrupts. "We've hid it this long. What are the chances of them finding out?"

"I'd rather my omote know about me than have her think she's insane!" Yumeri shouts. "If you would pay even the slightest bit of attention to your hosts then you would know that they think they're going insane too! I've heard them talk the few times they're together and they all agree that something isn't right."

"And Malik-hikari has a pretty girlfriend now." Mariku says. "Mariku doesn't want to scare her away."

Bakura glares at them. "You're both pathetic."

"Bakura, all three of them are seventeen now. In another year they'll be graduating from High School and going to college; they'll be adults." Yumeri says. "We can't protect them forever and we can't hide from them forever."

"Fine." Bakura grumbles. "But I won't like it."

0-0-0

A half an hour later, after talking about how to handle the situation and then walking back to the Dragon's Den, the three yami's give control back to their hikari's. They wait just long enough for the three hikari's to look around in confusion before they appear in their spirit forms.

Tama gasps and edges closer to Malik, who glares at the three spirits. Ryou looks at the yami's fearfully.

"Malik-hikari looks like a mini me!" Mariku practically squeals. "Mariku wants to hug him!"

"Stop it and be serious for once!" Yumeri hisses at Mariku. She glances at the three Lights. "Ignore him, he forgot to take his medication today apparently. Or maybe it's more like he's never had medication and really needs it."

"Who are you?" Malik demands, reaching for a small dagger he keeps in his pocket.

Yumeri gives a bow. "I'm Lady Yumeri, I currently reside in the dragon pendant. The white haired idiot is Bakura, who's a thief, and he resides in the Millennium Ring. Mar—"

"I'm the ex-priest Mariku who became a thief and Bakura's partner in crime and I live in Malik-hikari's Millennium Rod." Mariku says cheerfully.

There's a moment of silence as this all sinks in.

"So… you're ghosts?" Tama hesitantly asks, beginning to overcome her fear.

"No." Yumeri shakes her heads. "We're more like spirits, I suppose. We're still capable of casting magic as we did in the past and we can do other stuff."

"Like what?" Malik asks.

"Possession, memory altering, creating a solid form, starting a Shadow Game, summoning monsters from the Shadow Realm, and various other things depending on which one of us it is." Bakura says boredly. "And did I mention that we take up residence in your minds?" He smirks at the look of fear on Ryou's face. "I see my little yadounushi knows."

Ryou trembles. "K-koe?"

Malik steps protectively in front of Tama and Ryou, hiding all traces of emotion on his face. "Why haven't you shown yourselves before now? Tama and I have both had these for around seven years and Ryou has had the ring for three years."

"Would you really have wanted to know you were being possessed by a three-thousand year-old spirit?" Yumeri asks. "And I don't know about them, but I saw it as my duty to protect my omote from harm and reveal myself to her when the time was right." She says. "And I'm tired of modi-" She cuts herself off. "Never mind."

Malik narrows his eyes. "You're the reason Tama doesn't remember Ryou."

Yumeri looks down at the floor and then looks up at Malik, her gaze unwavering. "I am." She confirms.

"And you," He glares at Bakura. "You're the reason that Ryou doesn't remember us from when we were neighbors."

Bakura snorts. "Obviously."

"Give it back," Malik growls menacingly, his eyes narrowing more. "I don't care what your reasons were! Give back their memories! Now."

Tama tugs on Malik's sleeves, not taking her eyes off any of the yami's. "When did we live beside Bakura?"

"In England. It was at the first house we lived in." Malik replies, softening his voice for his cousin.

"I'll give it back." Yumeri says, to the surprise of Mariku and Bakura. "But don't blame me for the consequences." She closes her eyes and concentrates on controlling her magic to take down the wall that blocks Tama's memories of Ryou. Dark waves of energy collide against the barrier, searching for any weakness in the mental wall. Finding no weaknesses so she can take it down a little at a time, Yumeri has no choice but to bring it down in one piece.

A wave of old memories and feelings crash into Tama as her mind replays the childhood events Yumeri locked away for years.

At the same time, Bakura carelessly rips away the barrier in Ryou's mind knowing it's only a matter of time before it goes down anyway.

Instinctively, Malik moves to comfort Tama like he normally would only to be shoved away as Tama bolts from the room and runs out of the house. The Dragon Pendant shimmers on the floor as Yumeri disappears with a curse.

Malik curses their luck as thunder booms in the distance and Ryou whimpers in pain from the mental overload. Mariku watches from a distance, wishing that he could do something to help and that Bakura weren't so rash.

"Malik-hikari," He starts off gently.

"Shut up." Malik hisses. "I don't want to hear anything else right now."

Mariku backs off.

0-0-0

Rain pours down on Domino City, soaking everything and creating huge puddles in low-laying areas. Most people don't dare go outside in this weather, but there are a few that have to.

Malik stares out the window, his lilac eyes glazed over as he sits lost in thought. A fire crackles merrily on one side of the room where Seto, Mokuba, Liam, Ryou, and Isis are sitting. Ashling is busy in the kitchen making hot chocolate for all of them, although it also gives her a chance to go over everything that has happened. Bakura and Mariku have long since retreated into their soul rooms.

None of them know exactly what to think of the yami's or how to handle the fact that Ryou, Malik, and Tama are all their hosts. For that matter, none of them even know what to say to one another.

Minutes pass in silence for everyone in the room, but then the group by the fire begins conversing quietly.

"Cocoa?" Ashling asks gently, holding out a steaming mug for Malik to take.

Malik wordlessly does so and doesn't even look at Ashling, who sighs and moves on to give the others their hot chocolate. Once she has given it to them she goes and sits down beside Malik.

"She's still not back." Malik whispers. "Where is she?"

Ashling gazes sadly at her betrothed and lays a hand over his to try and comfort him. "It'll be okay. Tama's strong."

Malik slowly exhales. "I know." He murmurs. "I'm just worried about her. I mean, it's been three hours. And… she's never pushed me away like that. It… it hurts."

Ashling is quiet for a moment. "Remember when I freaked out when I saw you?" She asks. "It was because I had remembered a dream I had that you were in. I remember wanting nothing more than to be alone to sort out my feelings because I was so confused." She looks up in Malik's eyes when he turns to look at her. "I pushed Liam away when the two of you found me and I could see-- no. I could _feel _how hurt he was." She sighs and looks down at the ground for a moment before she looks back up and re-meets Malik's gaze. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that Tama was probably confused and wanted to be alone. I'll help you look for her before the sun sets."

Malik smiles and pulls Ashling into a hug. "Thanks for trying to help. I… I think I understand what you're trying to say."

Ashling smiles and pulls away. "That's good. I'm not even sure what my original point was. Now drink that cocoa before it gets cold!"

0-0-0

Tama sits completely still on a bench inside of the park near the entrance. She completely ignores the rain, which has soaked her right down to the bone, and the thunder crashing just miles away. Nor does she pay any attention when a limo passes, stops, and backs up and a certain CEO with turquiose hair gets out and walks over to her with an umbrella.

He curses when he sees the state she's in and tosses aside the umbrella in favor of picking her up and taking her to his limo. Once the two are in the vehicle, the driver puts it into drive and they head to the uptown part of Domino City where all of the mansions are.

0-0-0

Noa Kaiba closes the door to the spacious spare bedroom he had Tama placed in, giving his female maid space to get Tama out of her wet clothes and into something that's dry.

'_What the hell was she doing out there in the rain?' _He wonders angrily. _'Doesn't she know how dangerous storms are? And it was almost sunset too! Are her brothers really irresponsible enough to let her go out in that?'_ He thinks about each of the boys Tama lives with, his thoughts lingering longest on Mokuba. _'No.' _Noa decides. _'They're too overprotective for that.'_

"Mr. Kaiba."

Noa turns around to face his maid, Mimi Juniper, and nods. "Yes?"

Mimi bows. "I am finished, sir and am on my way to dry the young lady's clothing. Is there anything else you require of me at this moment?"

"No. This will be all for now." Noa says. "Take a break after you dry the clothes, you've been running around all day."

Mimi bows again. "Thank you, sir." She says politely. Then she hurries off t go finish the last chore she has for the night.

Once she's gone, Noa reopens the door to Tama's room and looks in to make sure she's okay. '_She looks so different when she's asleep. When she's awake she's guarded and always seems ready to challenge anything someone says that could be taken wrong. I should be thankful for that though, since she's defended me from her brothers comments on more than one occasion.'_ With a sigh he closes the door and heads down the hall to his office. _'Nevermind all of this, I have work to do.'_

0-0-0

"She's where?" Seto all but yells at Mokuba, more angry at himself for not going after Tama when he heard she ran off. "How- what- when did you find out this?"

Mokuba shrinks back a little, frightened by Seto's temper. "J-just now! Noa called."

Seto's expression softens at the frightened look on his little brother's face. "Oh Ra… I'm sorry, Mokuba. I didn't mean to yell at you. Come here."

Mokuba steps forward and buries his face into Seto's chest. "I don't like it when you're angry, 'nii-san."

Seto kisses the top of Mokuba's head. "I know. I'm sorry."

0-0-0

Tama returns home late the next day dressed in a cute little maids outfit that Mimi lent her. When questioned about the clothes she says that it was the only thing Mimi had that fit her and her old clothes had too many rips and tears from where she fell many times and from the times her clothes snagged on tree branches.

Nothing is said about the yami's until about a week later, when they all make their first appearance with everyone in the room. Naturally, it takes everyone a while to adjust to their presences.

_**-F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S-**_

Shiro: Well, just 15 chapters left to this story. Doesn't seem like that much now... This fanfiction has already overtaken all of my other ones in the number of words in it. How fun! And this will probably be the longest fanfiction I'll write. Already I'm starting to slow down. Maybe my planned break will help...

Kaze: Planned break? What planned break?

Shiro: Oh! After I post chapter 23 I'm going to take a break from writing Family Bonds so I can get my other fanfiction finished. Then all I'll have to worry about is this story. Hopefully. And it's not like I won't be working on Family Bonds, I just won't be posting anything for it. Unless by the time I get chapter 23 posted it's around Christmas, then I'll be posting the Christmas Interlude. n.n

Bast: Alright, that's enough hikari. Lets wrap this up!

Shiro: Right-o!

NEXT CHAPTER: Problems, a birthday, and resolutions


	24. Chapter 21: New Years Couples

**Please see author note at the very end of the chapter! Thank you!**

Disclaimer: Saying that I own Yugioh is like saying that the whole world loves George W. Bush. It just ain't true.

_**-F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S-**_

_Chapter 21: New Years Couples_

It's now August and everyone is preparing to go back to school. For the majority of both of the group it'll be the last year of high school. For Mokuba and Shizuka it means they'll be starting their first year for high school. For Nixx and Kaylie, it means they're now Juniors and need to start thinking about college and what classes they should take.

Ashling and Liam have decided to go to Domino High School for their final year, since Ashling doesn't want to be separated from Malik and there's no way Liam would let her stay there without him.

In Virginia without the Phoenix twins to serve as peacemakers there are some problems. Roman, who has been extremely irritable ever since he found out Malik has 'stolen' Ashling from him, is more moody than ever and is prone to snapping at anyone around him.

Alexandrian tries his best to stay out of Roman's way and spends most of his spare time in the library. Nixx is busy trying to avoid both of his brothers, since both of them have been rather snappy toward him. Roman because he's Roman and Alexandrian because he hates it when people interrupt his studying.

It has also gotten to the point that Kaylie refuses to be around any of them because they're 'acting like idiots' over two people.

Holly and Damian are also tired of it all, but they're more worried about Roman and the downhill direction he's going.

"We have to do something." Holly says. "Daman, it's not that late over in Japan yet. Call up Ashling and explain the situation to her and tell her to knock some sense into Roman."

Damian sighs and pulls out his black cellphone. "Fine, but keep a lookout for teachers." With a practiced ease, Damian dials his phone card number and then the number for Ashling and Liam's shared cell phone. Once one of them picks up, and thankfully it's Ashling, Damian hurriedly explains what's going on to her, in the end asking, "So can you knock some sense into him for us?"

On the other end Ashling sighs. _"I had no idea he'd take it this badly." _She says softly.

"Ash, he's been trying to get you to go out with him ever since you and Liam moved here." Damian says. "It's safe to say it was love at first sight for him."

"Put him on." Ashling says.

Damian walks over to Roman and holds out his cell phone. "Someone wants to talk to you, Roman."

Roman looks up from the ground, his silver eyes clouded, and silently takes the phone from Damian, waiting for his friend to walk away before he puts the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

"Roman."

Roman's eyes widen at the sound of Ashling's angelic (to him) voice. "Ash? Wha- how are you?" He asks.

"I'm just find, Roman. Thanks for asking." She pauses. "How are you?"

Roman hesitates. "Fine."

"By the sounds of things you aren't 'fine'."

"I miss you." Roman says. "Things aren't the same around here without you here. You and Liam."

"Ro…" Ashling begins hesitantly. "I… I miss you too."

Hope wells up in Roman's chest.

"I miss all of you. So does Liam. He says 'hi' by the way."

And that hope easily deflates with Ashling's piercing words.

"Roman, you need to straighten up." Ashling tells him. "Where's the sarcastic, funny Roman that I know so well? Where's the Roman who wants to graduate and go to college to become a psychologist that I may one day need? Who wants to start and manage his own small business right in our little town?"

Roman cracks a smile. "He's still here."

"Well how about you put him on?" Ashling says teasingly. "Unless he fears my wrath."

Roman laughs at Ashling's words. "Me? Fearful of your wrath? About as afraid as I am of an ant."

"I seem to recall a certain raven-haired boy who freaked out because ants crawled up his pants."

Roman smirks. "Yes. It's a pity that was Nixx from when he dyed his hair black."

"Oh darn."

Roman smiles and leans back against the rail. "I miss you, Ash."

"I know. I miss you too, Ro."

Holly taps Roman on the arm and motions to the people who are now walking to buildings.

"I have to go, Ash." Roman says. "The bell for homeroom just rang."

"Alright. Bye, Ro."

"Bye Ash."

The phone clicks as Ashling hangs up.

Roman blinks back tears. "I love you, Ash. I love you so much."

0-0-0

"I don't get it, Tama. Every single year they've remembered my birthday." Anzu says. "But this year it's different. I haven't heard so much as a single 'Happy Birthday'."

Tama sighs._ 'This is what I get for volunteering to distract Anzu. Why didn't I let Liam do it instead?'_

"Tama, are you listening to me?" Anzu asks, shifting one of the brown paper bags in her arms.

"Yes." Tama says. "But can the ranting wait until we get back to the house? That way you can yell at the guys." She internally winces at her words. _'Okay, that didn't come out as good as I planned. It sounds much too insensitive.'_

Anzu glares at her and quickens her pace.

Tama lets her go ahead, not trying to correct her words at all. _'No point in making a fool out of myself when she probably won't even listen to me.' _She reasons.

The minutes drag by as the two girls walk in silence to the Dragon's Den where everyone else is waiting for them to return with snacks. When the two finally get to the house they find it completely silent, which is unusual.

"That's weird." Tama mutters, pulling out her keys to unlock the door. "They said they would stay here. I hope nothing bad happened." She unlocks the door and steps in with Anzu close behind her. Tama shifts the grocery bags over to one arm and then flicks on the light.

"Happy Birthday, Anzu!!!" Everyone yells as they jump out of their hiding places.

Anzu jumps about two feet into the air and nearly drops the bags of snacks she's carrying. "W-what? When did you get this set up?" She asks, motioning to the balloons, streamers, and the 'Happy Birthday' banner strung across the hallway between the kitchen and the living room.

"Well, it wasn't easy to do with us in here setting up using chairs." Katsuya says. "It was really crowded. Oh, and Liam here nearly stapled his thumb to the wall!"

Liam turns red from embarrassment. "Yeah well, Jounouchi fell while he and Honda were setting up the banner!"

Anzu giggles. "Sounds like I have two clumsy blonde guys for friends. I can't believe I though you guys forgot my birthday."

"Us? Forget your birthday?" Honda asks, slinging an arm over Jounouchi's shoulders. "No way! Although Jounouchi might-"

"Hey! Watch it, Honda!" Katsuya warns.

"Now, now, boys." Mai says, coming into the hallway with her usual air of confidence. "Lets not fight during Anzu's birthday party. Save it for after I bet Jounouchi in all of the games later." She says with a wink.

Katsuya growls at the statement.

"Mai's right; no fighting." Ashling says. "Lets let Anzu open her presents instead."

"I bet she'll like mine best!" Katsuya exclaims.

Mai snorts. "Get real, Jounouchi. She'll like _mine _best."

The others roll their eyes and go into the living room where they've put Anzu's presents. Once they're all seated Anzu starts opening her presents.

Mai and Katsuya's little arguments continue for the rest of the party to everyone's amusement except for maybe Seto's. Other than their friendly bets, there are no problems during the entire party. Which is a rather remarkable feat when you have Otogi, Honda, and Katsuya in the same room. Especially since Otogi has been flirting with Shizuka lately.

0-0-0

**December- Winter Break**

Snow, it seems, has many different uses when there's enough of it. It can be used to build large forts and make ammunition for snow battles in the park. It can be used to build meltable creatures for decoration. You can go sledding on it. It can also make people sick if they stay out in it long enough.

While they're not working or doing homework the teachers assigned for winter break, both the Domino City group and what remains of the Virginia group spend their time outside in the snow.

On a normal day in Domino City the group consists of Yugi, Ryou, Malik, Seto, Tama, Mokuba, Ashling, Liam, Shizuka, and Otogi. Anzu, Katsuya, Honda, Mai, and Miho all either have a job or their parents want them home.

On a normal day in Virginia, everyone who is left of the group gets together. Those who are left are Damian, Holly, Roman, Alexandrian, and Nixx. Times that they can all get together are rare, since they're all working to save money to go back to Domino City, and because Nixx keeps getting sick.

**Domino City- Backyard at the Dragon's Den**

Snowballs fly back and forth across the yard in rapid succession. On one end of the yard is Team Light, which consists of Malik, Ryou, Ashling, Tama, Yugi, Katsuya, Mokuba, and Shizuka. On the other end is Team Dark, which consists of Mariku, Liam, Yumeri, Seto, Yami, Bakura, Otogi, and Mai.

The only reason the yami's are playing is to relieve stress and because Bakura, Yumeri, and Mariku have recently discovered how to use Shadow Magic to give themselves a more solid form. None of them can really feel anything unless it's extreme pain, cold, or heat though, which gives them an unfair advantage sometimes.

And with all four yami's on the same team, trouble is bound to ensue.

Bakura cackles as he chucks four snowballs at Team Light and then ducks back behind the snow fort as eight come flying toward him. The snowballs collide harmlessly with the wall of the snowfort.

Yumeri smirks. "Looks like they're out for your blood, thief."

"Shut up." I don't see you throwing any snowballs." Bakura retorts with a growl.

Yumeri tilts her head arrogantly. "That's because I'm helping Otogi and Liam make snowballs." She says.

"Well wh--"

"Shut up!" Mai yells. "Honestly, you two bicker more than an old married couple! I don't care if you so-called 'dark spirits' can't feel anything, but the rest of us can and we're getting pummeled! If you two would kindly shut the hell up then maybe they wouldn't be able to tell our exact location through the damn snow."

Bakura and Yumeri fall silent, actually fearful of making Mai angry. The blonde woman is a force to be reckoned with.

And so the snowball fight continues. That is, until Yami says something that pisses off Bakura which causes the two of them to start fighting and shove one another into the snow. And it's because of them that the snowball fight ends.

It may have been for the best though, as Mokuba, Ryou, and Ashling's noses are bright red from frostbite, Tama's getting the sniffles, and Katsuya and Shizuka need to go home before it gets too dark.

0-0-0

**Virginia- The Lexus House**

"Nixx is sick again?" Damian asks Mr. Lexus in disbelief. "This is the fifth time this month!"

"Is he too sick to see us?" Holly asks, worried for the younger boy. "Or should we just get Alex and Roman and head off?"

Mrs. Lexus happens to walk by as Holly asks this and stops and smiles at the two Seniors. "I'm sure Nixx would love a visit from you two. Just don't stay with him for too long. He needs his rest and I'd hate for either of you to catch what he has."

"Arigatou, Lexus-san." Damian says, falling back on an old habit of his that he has found himself using far more than usual lately. He bows quickly and then grabs Holly's hand and tugs her upstairs to Nixx's room.

"It's good to see the boys have such nice friends." Mrs. Lexus says once the two are upstairs. "We should invite their parents over for dinner some time when Nixx is feeling better."

Mr. Lexus says nothing and just gives a small nod.

Upstairs Damian and Holly have just entered Nixx's room to find their usually hyperactive and teasing friend covered by many blankets and yet still pale and shivering.

Holly wraps her arms around herself, not having expected Nixx to be this sick. "Oh goddess…"

"Bad, isn't it." Alexandrian comments from the doorway. "Damian, you're family. I need to talk to you about something. Holly, can you help Roman give Nixx his medicine?"

Holly shakily nods. "Yeah. I will."

"Great." Alexandrian says before he turns and leaves the room.

Damian follows behind him, but has to stop a moment to let Roman in the room before he continues.

Alexandrian leads Damian down the hall to his room and crosses the room to sit down on his bed with a sigh. "Close the door. I don't want my mom to hear this and freak out. She's worried enough with Nixx being sick."

Damian closes the door behind him and then crosses the room and sits down beside Alexandrian. "What's wrong, Alex?"

"It's Roman. And Nixx." Alexandrian says. "Roman… he's been smoking again. And he's been going out to parties every weekend and coming home completely trashed." He explains. "And Nixx hasn't been eating regularly again. That's why he's been sick so much this winter."

Damian looks at Alexandrian in shock. "But I thought they both got over that stuff! I know Ashling was the one who got Roman to stop smoking and drinking and after we all got on Nixx's case about eating regularly he actually started eating. So what happened?"

"I- I don't know." Alexandrian stumbles over words. "I just- It happened all of a sudden and there was nothing I could do to stop him and now Roman's in trouble and Nixx weighs less than one-hundred-and-five pounds and I haven't been able to sleep recently because of everything and--"

Damian hits Alexandrian on the back, knocking the breath from the brown-haired teen. "Breathe, Alex. Breathe." He wait's a minute while Alexandrian takes several gulps of air. "Alex, have you been taking your medicine?"

"Not since Roman stopped smoking and drinking and Nixx started eating." Alexandrian admits. "That was about the time I ran out and since things have been peaceful until now I haven't needed it. How would I explain to mother that I need more medication when things have been seemingly peaceful lately? I don't want her to worry."

"And she wouldn't worry if you collapsed from stress or completely broke down?" Damian asks, sighing heavily. "You three have to be the most screwed up bunch I have ever met. Just… pack up yours and Roman's stuff. I want you both to stay with me until this mess gets sorted out. And when Nixx gets over this recent cold then he can come stay too."

Alexandrian nods. "Okay. But how are we going to explain this to my parents?"

Damian puts his most pathetic look on his face and whimpers, "I could use some company for the holiday." He makes his bottom lip tremble a little. "Daddy isn't coming home this year."

Alexandrian can't help but laugh at how sincere Damian sounds. "Alright. Thanks Damian."

0-0-0

**New Years - Still Winter Break**

_Domino City, en route to Noa's mansion_.

"So why exactly are we going to Kaiba's?" Katsuya asks Yugi, Tama, Mokuba, Anzu, Shizuka, Mai, and Otogi, who are the ones in the limo with him.

The group has had to split into two groups in order to get to Noa's mansion because the limo's can only seat so many people. Katsuya's group is in Otogi's limo while everyone else- Seto, Ryou, Malik, Ashling, Liam, Honda, and Miho- are in the Muto's limo.

"We're going because Noa invited us." Tama says. "So be nice to him for this one night and don't pick any fights. He's not that bad of a guy."

Katsuya mutters something undecipherable and Tama hits him in the head.

"What was that for?!" He yells.

"Be nice." Tama says warningly. "I know that what you muttered wasn't very nice and I'm telling you all right now that you can't pick fights tonight. I'd love to start the new year peacefully."

"And as a quick change of subject, does everyone have their resolutions prepared?" Mokuba asks. "We're going to go around and say out loud our resolutions and we're going to help one another succeed in doing them during the year."

"Sounds interesting." Mai comments. "So I take it the resolutions can't just be wishes."

"Nope." Mokuba shakes his head. "Wishes and resolutions are two different thing, but we do both. This is going to be so much fun!"

Tama's laptop suddenly emits a beeping noise and she quickly opens it to find Damian online with his video camera.

/ "Hey Tama, mind turning on your camera?"/ He asks. / "I've got the rest of the gang here with me."/

Tama quickly gets her camera out of her purse and clips it to the top of her laptop before she plugs it in. "Can you hear me now?" She asks.

/ "Perfectly."/ Damian replies. / "I can see you too."/

"Well that's good." Tama says. "I just hope the connection doesn't go out. I'm in Otogi's limo right now with half the group here and we're on our way to Noa Kaiba's mansion for a New Years party."

/ "Sounds like fun."/ Damian says. / "You doing your New Years resolutions, wishes, and kisses thing?"/

"Don't we always?" Tama asks. "Yes, we are. What are you doing over there?"

Damian shrugs. / "Just resolutions, some games, and getting up to watch the sunrise. Nixx isn't feeling all that well again so we can't do very much."/

"Nixx is sick?" Mokuba asks quietly.

/ "Yeah. This is the ninth time he's been sick since December first."/ Damian says. / "And each time it lasts about three or four days. I don't know what we're going to do."/ He pauses for a moment. / "Is Ash in the car with you? I need to talk to her about something important."/

Tama shakes her head. "No, she and Liam are in the other limo. I can have Otogi's driver pull over and Blue will follow and you can talk to Ashling."

/ "It wouldn't be too much trouble, would it?"/ Damian asks. / "I don't want to be troublesome."/

"It's fine." Tama assures him before she looks overtop the laptop. "Otogi!"

Otogi reluctantly breaks away from his conversation with Shizuka. "What?"

"Ask your driver to pull over. My friend Damian has something important to talk to Ashling about." Tama says. "You can keep talking to Shizuka after you ask your driver to pull over."

Otogi rolls his eyes and mutters something about controlling women before he orders his driver to pull over.

Once both limo's have come to a stop and questions are asked about why they've stopped, Tama pulls Liam and Ashling over to the side and hands them her laptop.

Damian quickly explains to the twins what's going on in Virginia and then shoves a tied-up Roman and a bundled-up-in-blankets Nixx in front of the camera and lets Ashling curse the both of them out in mixed languages while Liam tries to slip in a word edge-wise.

They set on the side of the road for at least fifteen minutes while Ashling tries to yell some sense into her two friends and then she starts losing her voice so Malik and Liam drag her away from the laptop. Tama says her goodbyes to Damian and shuts down the laptop.

And then they're off again and back on their way to Noa's mansion.

0-0-0

**Virginia- Damian's House**

"Alright, time to go through resolutions!" Damian exclaims. "I'll start. My first resolution for this new year is to work hard and get into a good Arts college."

"I'll go next." Alexandrian volunteers when no one else speaks up. "My resolution is to take care of myself all year and take my medicine when I need it."

"My resolution is to stop smoking and drinking." Roman says softly, Ashling's earlier screamed words having hit him hard. "And I'm going to work hard in school."

Nixx coughs and pulls his blanket around himself tighter. "I'm going to try and eat more and get my weight back up to one-hundred-fifteen."

"And I'm going to work hard and save up my money to go to Domino City!" Holly exclaims. "I'll go to the community college there and work at a restaurant or something to pay for bills and stuff."

"And we'll all help out one another to succeed in our resolutions." Damian says determinedly. "That way we can't fail."

0-0-0

**Domino City- Noa's Mansion**

It's just an hour and a half to go until the new year begins and everyone has gathered in Noa's living room to go through the Dragons' New Years tradition.

"Exactly what are we doing?" Otogi asks. "You never did explain it."

"We call it 'Resolutions, Wishes, and Kisses'." Seto says. "First we go around the room and everyone tells one of their resolutions for the new year. Then we go around the room and everyone has the choice of saying one thing they wish would happen. The last thing we do is the New Years kisses." He pauses a moment. "What we do is dim the lights and draw numbers from a hat. You don't tell anyone that number. Then--"

"We've added new rules this year since there are more of us and we're not all related." Mokuba speaks up. "So don't look at us weird when Seto explains the next part."

Seto sighs. "As I was saying, after drawing numbers and finding some way to dim the lights everyone except the person holding the number one close their eyes. Then whoever has the number one gets up and chooses someone to kiss. As of this year there are three types of kisses. Friendship kisses, which are kisses on either cheek; Crush kisses, which are either kisses on the forehead or on the hand; and Love kisses, which are on the lips.

"So after number one gives his kiss whoever got the kiss can either open their eyes and give a reply kiss or they can keep their eyes shut. Once whoever gave the kiss gets back to their seat, that person will clap to signal they're done and then they'll close their eyes and number two will go." Seto finishes explaining.

"And at the end of the game any new couples stand up and go sit by one another." Tama adds. "And won't this make for interesting conversation when we get back to school?" She turns to face Mokuba and says, "Why Mokuba! Since when have you two been a couple?"

Mokuba grins. "Since Noa Kaiba's New Years party! We played this neat game called 'New Years Kisses'."

"Ha ha, very funny." Malik comments. "Are we going to start this now or not? We don't have much time."

"I'll go the numbers!" Mokuba exclaims, grabbing the sheet of paper and the pen off of the table. "How many of us are there?"

"Sixteen." Noa says. "There are sixteen of us."

And so the Resolutions part begins while Mokuba writes numbers and then tears out those numbers.

"Ladies first." Liam says. "Unless we're going to form a circle."

"That'd be too much trouble." Anzu speaks up. "I'll go first. My resolution is to go to the dance studio near the arcade three times every school week and once every weekend. That way I'll be ready if I'm accepted into the dance school in New York."

"Which means you gotta keep your grades up." Katsuya comments. "But that shouldn't be a problem for you."

Anzu smiles. "Thanks Jounouchi."

"My turn!" Ashling exclaims. "My resolution is to work hard and get all A's so I'll have the best chance to go to college and study to be a zoologist specializing in the cats."

"I'm going to keep my grades up this year and find a job this summer." Shizuka says.

"I'm going to further my skills as a duelist." Mai says. "So I won't be around here most of this summer since I'll be off dueling."

"I wish you luck." Tama says. "Now my resolution is to get good grades and be accepted at Domino Technical Institution."

"Same here." Seto speaks up. "But I also want to officially start in a branch of dad's company, hopefully in the technology department."

And so it continues around the room.

Miho's resolution is keep getting A's and go to a university in Tokyo, Mokuba wants to get all A's and B's and get into every program and club involving art in some way, Katsuya's resolution is to pass high school with high enough grades that he can get into the community college, Honda's is to bring his grades up so he can pass and to get more hours at the garage he works at, Otogi wants to finish up his latest game idea while keeping up grades at school, Liam's resolution is to pass high school and go into college and study to be a technician or auto mechanic specializing in environmentally efficient technology, Yugi's is to get good enough grades to go to the community college, Ryou's is about the same as Yugi's except he wants to get prepared to go to the technical institution.

And then it comes time for New Years wishes and only Tama, Mokuba, Ashling, and Anzu makes wishes out loud. Everyone else makes their wishes in their heads.

Tama's wish is for them all to remain healthy for the entire year. Mokuba's is to fall in love. Ashling's wish is for the three Lexus brothers to get better and for all of her friends to stay healthy. And Anzu's wish is that she gets a scholarship for the dance school.

And then comes time for the biggest part of the tradition: New Years Kisses.

"Alright, everyone draw a number and we'll get started!" Mokuba says. He starts them off and pulls out the first number and then hands the hat off to Seto, who's sitting beside him on the floor.

Around goes the hat until everyone has a number. Then Noa has the lights dimmed and the game begins.

The game starts off slowly with just friendship kisses. Anzu goes first, kissing Yugi on the cheek and getting a kiss on the cheek in reply. Then Shizuka goes, followed by Ryou and then Yugi.

So many friendship kisses go around that one would think none of them brave enough to do anything else. And then it's Seto's turn.

Seto calmly stands and walks across the room to his little golden-haired pup. As softly as possible his takes Katsuya's hand and raises it to his lips, gently kisses the back of it. He wait's a moment to see if Katsuya will open his eyes and he's not disappointed.

Katsuya's eyes widen when he sees who it is and then he blushes and kisses Seto on the forehead in reply.

And then it's back to friendship kisses for Mai and Liam and then Malik gives Ashling a Love kiss and gets one in response. Then Otogi gives Shizuka a Crush kiss and gets a shy one in reply. Then, to Noa's surprise, Tama and Mokuba both give him Friendship kisses to which he replies with one of his own. The last to go are Honda and Miho, who both give on another a kiss on the lips.

And with that, the game comes to and end, just in time to countdown to midnight.

0-0-0

One would find it strange that the yami's are quiet and don't cause a mess or steal anything and there's only one explanation:

Each of the hikari's threatened not to wear the items they're kept in, which would mean four very bored yami's locked up in darkness.

To keep themselves occupied they just watch their Lights and their Lights' friends play their little games. They even get into it too, although Yami gets no kisses, Friendship or otherwise.

It's only later that night that Yami gives his New Years kiss to someone. And that someone is Yugi, who happily responds with a kiss on the lips.

_**-F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S-**_

Shiro: Hmm, now that wasn't a bad length. Not a bad length at all. It's definently one of my longer chapters.

Bast: (reading over newest set of plans for Family Bonds) Hikari! What the hell is going on?!

Shiro: (winces) Oh boy... just what I need, getting chewed out at 8:30 at night by a volitile yami who's boyfriend is ill.

Bast: What is this? What happened to the 35 chapters?! _Hikari you'd better answer me now!!!_

Shiro: (squeaks) I'll explain it in the note at the very end! I promise I have a good excuse this time! Well, as good as excuses get anyway.

Bast: You had better.

Shiro: (gulps)

NEXT CHAPTER: _Freedom, sand, and time_

_**!!!!NOTE!!!!**_

Okay, so here's my all-important note. Don't worry, it's not bad news. I promise. Well, not really bad news. You know how I said there was going to be 35 chapters to this story? Well... my brain kicked into overdrive and came up with a better way to handle Family Bonds. Since I don't really want to be working on this for the rest of this school year and would love to have time to work on other fanfictions, I'm cutting it short. The number of "true" chapters is just going to be up to chapter 23. But since there's no way I'm letting all of my planning or the cute ideas I have go to waste, there's going to be other "chapters" containing everything else I've planned. Either that or they'll be flashback chapters, which will be chapters where parts of the group get together and talk about all of the funny or good things that have happened. Even the bad. And there could be some where they're telling their kids stories, which will be super cute.

So what do you guys think? Even by doing this you'll still be getting lots of chapters. Possibly more than 35 when you include the Interlude chapters. I'm thinking that this will make it easier for me to write and that mean's I'll be able to update more quickly and work on more fanfictions for everyone to read! Yay!

So, anyone want to kill me? (I sincerely hope not.)

Alright, so lets recap. By doing this I only have two-three more "true" chapters to write. After that what I'll be getting out is the Interludes and the "not-quite-a-chapter chapters". That means more frequent updates and new stories. And once I finish up with those all that's left is the bloopers. (Why do I get the feeling that I'll be writing even more now than before?)

And if you've stuck all the way through this note, here's something for you! (hands out various plushies) Plushies! Plushies! Get them while they're still here! I've got a limited edition Thief King Bakura doll right here! Oh, and here's a cute one that's Ryou in an apron that says 'Kiss the cook'. So cute! (tosses out plushies)

-_Kishiro Kitsune_


	25. Interlude 4: Love at First Sight

Interlude Four: Love at First Sight

Aka

The Roman and Ashling Interlude

**September 2007- Domino City- Dragon's Den**

"Hey Ashling, I've been wondering about something."

Ashling rolls over onto her stomach to face Tama and Shizuka, who are laying side-by-side; Anzu is beside Ashling.

"What is it?" Ashling asks.

"I was just thinking about spring break when the rest of your group was up here with you." Tama says. "Remember how we were talking about how we all met one another? I was wondering how you met Nixx and his brothers."

"Did Liam tell you that Roman and I dated?" Ashling asks crossly. "Because if he did, that's a lie. Although…" She bites her lip. "We almost did."

"Oh, now I have to hear how you met Roman at least." Tama says. "Come on, lets hear it."

Ashling sighs. "Alright… it all starts about five years ago when it was mine and Liam's first day of middle school. We had just moved to Virginia earlier that summer and we didn't know anybody. And the worst part was that they split up Liam and I…"

_-Flashback-_

_An eleven-year-old Ashling shyly takes a seat at her classes lunch table at the very end of it away from the rest of her class. She looks around the cafeteria for a minute to see if she can find Liam. She's disappointed to find him all the way on the other side of the cafeteria talking to a boy with purple hair._

_With a small sigh she opens up her Sailor Moon lunchbox and takes out a partially squished PB&J sandwich and makes a face. Reaching back in she pulls out a sandwich baggy filled with Cheetos and after that a Capri Sun juice._

"_Hey."_

_Ashling looks up, startled. She blushes when she sees a cute boy with royal blue eyes and raven black hair that is tied back into a ponytail standing right across from her with a tray._

"_You look lonely. Can I sit here?" He asks._

_Ashling shakes her head. "I- I don't mind."_

_The boy smiles and sits down. "I'm Roman."_

"_I'm Ashling." She says shyly. "It's nice to meet you."_

"_Polite, aren't you." Roman comments. "You don't have to be that polite around me. It drives me nuts, actually."_

_Ashling looks down at her food. "S-sorry!"_

_Roman rolls his eyes. "Whatever." He mutters._

_-End Flashback-_

"Sounds like you two didn't have to best first meeting." Anzu comments. "When did the whole 'get-Ashling-and-Roman-to-date' thing start?"

"I'm going to kill Liam." Ashling mutters. "Lets see… I'd say it was around three pr four years ago that Roman first started flirting with me and about a year later I started responding. It was all in fun at first and then it sort of got out of hand."

"You said something about the two of you almost dating." Shizuka says.

"Oh yeah." Ashling nods. "It was our freshman year of high school and getting close to Homecoming and we were all trying to decide if we wanted to go. Damian and Roman both wanted to go and Liam, Alex, Holly, and I didn't really want to go…"

_-Flashback-_

"_Please go with me, Ash." Damian begs. "Roman and I need some kawaii company. Onegai?" He drags out 'onegai' as long as he can._

"_Damian, I just don't know." Ashling says. "I really don't want to go."_

"_But it'll be more fun if you're there." Damian says. "And I bet Roman would love to see you in a dress."_

_Ashling blushes. "W-what! No! Stop it, Damian!"_

_Damian grins. "I'll even lay off and let you and Roman go together. I bet one of the girls from my drama class would go with me."_

_Ashling smacks Damian on the arm and hisses, "Would you urusai. Roman's coming over here."_

_Roman stops when both Damian and Ashling look over at him. "Oookay… do I even want to know what you two were saying about me?"_

"_Who says we were talking about you?" Ashling asks. "Just because we suddenly stopped talking and looked over at you doesn't mean we were talking about you."_

_Roman rolls his right. "Riiiight. So Ash, can I ask you something?"_

_Ashling nervously nods, having a feeling about what's coming. "I guess. Sure."_

_Roman looks over at Damian. "Purple-boy, scram." He says._

"_Leaving!" Damian says cheerfully. "I see my date-to-be right over there. Hey Constance!" He runs off after a pretty brown-haired girl wearing all black and an anime jacket._

"_Ashling," Roman takes Ashling's hand with a serious expression on his face. "Will you be my date for the Homecoming dance?"_

_Ashling blushes for the second time. "I- well, it's just- I--" She squeaks when Roman kisses the back of her hand and she turns a brighter shade of red. "As friends." She managed to get out._

_Roman looks a little disappointed, but isn't about to complain since he has gotten her to go. "As friends." He agrees._

_-End Flashback-_

"Awww…." Anzu, Shizuka, and Tama say in unison.

"That's so sweet!" Anzu exclaims. "Why'd you have to go and say 'as friends'? You two would be so cute together!"

"Well it turned out for the best, didn't it?" Ashling asks. "I'm with Malik now. If I were with Roman and we went through all of this, things would not be pretty."

"That's true." Tama agrees.

"Maybe in an alternate universe or something, but not this one." Ashling says. "Not this one…"

_-Flashback-_

_Roman leans down to gently kiss Ashling in the middle of a song only to be stopped by Ashling's fingers on his lips._

"_Roman, I- I can't." Ashling whispers, blinking back tears. "I'm sorry." She says before she flees the gym, tears beginning to fall freely from her eyes._

_Roman stands there and watches her leave, at a loss for what to do. Damian sees her running off and apologizes to his date before he chases after Ashling._

_Damian finds her standing outside crying with her arms wrapped around her chest. "Ashling?" He softly calls. "Ash, are you al--" He cuts himself off when Ashling launches herself into his arms and clings to his purple shirt._

"_Why?" She asks. "Why do I push him away? Every time. I push him away every time and I hate it." She whispers. "I hate it."_

_Damian wraps his arms around her. "It's okay, Ash."_

"_I know…" Ashling whispers brokenly._

_The two stand there for a minute before Ashling pulls away from Damian and wipes her eyes. "Thanks, Damian."_

_Damian smiles. "No problem. Now come on, kitten. I'll call my driver to come get us and get you home." He says. "Do you need anything from inside?"_

_Ashling shakes her head. "No… no, lets go."_

_-End Flashback-_

_**F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--:--I-N-T-E-R-L-U-D-E-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--:--I-N-T-E-R-L-U-D-E-S**_

Shiro: Here it is, a little look into Ashling's past with Roman. Not much else to say about it.

Next Interlude- Holidays 3: Yule and Christmas (it's got some religious themes to it like the Halloween one did, so if you want to skip it that's okay.)


	26. Chapter 22: Memories Restored

**Here's my Christmas present to you all**: the final 3 chapters of Family Bonds and 1 interlude.

Disclaimer: Saying that I own Yugioh is like saying that the whole world loves George W. Bush. It just ain't true.

_**-F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S-**_

Chapter 22: Memories Restored

Domino City- June 5, 2008

"FREEDOM!!!" All of the graduating Seniors, with the exception of Noa, Miho, and Otogi, yell as they exit the high school for the last time.

"What do you guys say we celebrate?" Otogi suggests. "We can go to my place and once the rest of school lets out I'll send my driver to get Mokuba and Shizuka. Sound good?"

The others agree, although it takes some convincing to get Noa to agree, and soon they're all heading to Otogi's house.

Once there Katsuya and Tama go straight to the kitchen to make some food even though Otogi insists they let his chef handle it, while everyone else goes into the game room and picks out the music and games they'll play.

They hang out for the rest of the day to play games, eat, and goof off in general. The only times they take a break are when Otogi calls his driver to have Mokuba and Shizuka picked up and when the two arrive.

Later that evening, after having dinner, they all get serious and talk about their plans for the summer. This will be the last true free summer the graduates will have, since after this summer they're either be going to college or straight into work.

"So what are our plans for this summer?" Anzu asks. "We've got to make this one of the best!"

"Well… we need to go to Egypt soon." Yugi says uneasily. "Mou hitori--"

"Again with the 'Ancient Egyptian spirits' shut?" Noa asks with a frown.

Yugi nods. "Yes, actually. Isis mentioned something to me about needing to let mou hitori no boku move on to the afterlife. Although she may have just said it because Bakura and him were making a big mess at that time…"

Tama snorts. "Try careening around the house cussing out one another."

"Where was Yugi and I when this was happening?" Ryou asks.

"Outside talking to Mokuba." Tama replies. "They disappeared as you two were coming in. But that's beside the point." She looks over at Malik. "Did Isis say anything to you about going to Egypt?"

Malik nods. "Yeah. She wants to leave a couple of days after Mokuba and Shizuka get out of school. Anyone who wants to come can, just let us know ahead of time. Actually, go ahead and tell me now."

"Obviously Yugi, Ryou, you, and I have to go." Tama says. "We really have no choice."

"I'll go too." Anzu volunteers.

"You don't really think we'll let you go on your own, do you?" Katsuya asks. "I'm in."

"Same here." Honda says. "And besides, how often does anyone have a chance to go see another country?"

By the time the night comes to an end the only ones not going are Shizuka, Otogi, and Miho.

0-0-0

Egypt- Outside Isis and Malik's Old Home

"Here it is." Isis says clamly, waving her hand to the door in the ground. "Please tread carefully. There is very little light down there and there are poisonous creatures that live in the tunnels."

"Wonderful," Noa mutters sarcastically. "poisonous reptiles."

Tama elbows Noa in the side. "Be nice."

Noa rolls his eyes and goes silent.

Isis expertly pulls open the door and leads everyone inside. Malik brings up the rear with Ashling and closes the door behind him.

They proceed through the halls in pairs of two, with the exception of Isis who remains alone at the front. The order they're in goes like this: Isis, then Yugi and Liam, Honda and Anzu, Seto and Katsuya, Noa and Mokuba, Tama and Ryou, and last is Malik and Ashling.

Silence blankets the group as they walk through the darkened tunnels until the reach the stone tablet that holds the pharaoh's memories.

"This is it." Isis says sagely. "This holds the key to recovering the pharaoh's memories.. It's up to all of you to figure out how to unlock them."

"You mean you don't know?" Katsuya asks. "How can you not know?"

"It was always assumed that the pharaoh would remember everything." Isis replies. "As it is, I'm only assuming that this tablet will help uncover them."

Bakura chuckles darkly. "Oh, it will work."

Yami narrows his eyes. "What do you know, Bakura?"

Bakura's chuckles change to a more evil laugh that makes Yumeri step away from him. "I know," A strong wind kicks up and his eyes gleam. "**_everything_**."

The wind blows stronger, kicking up dust and then a blinding light illuminates the room, drawing almost everyone into it. Left in the room are Noa, Mokuba, Ashling, Liam, Isis, and Malik.

"W-what happened?" Ashling asks, looking around as she tries to regain balance. "Where did everyone else go?"

"I can't sense Mariku anywhere." Malik murmurs. "It's like he was never even here. Do you think he went with them?"

"But even if he did why didn't we go too?" Mokuba asks. "I mean, everyone else got to go."

"Maybe we aren't meant to go with them." Liam suggests. "And the others will fill us in on what happened wherever they are."

Mokuba sighs and looks up at the tablet. "It can't compare to actually being there though."

"True…"

0-0-0

Memory World

"Tama! Tama!" Ryou whispers, shaking Tama gently. "Wake up, Tama."

Tama groans and slowly opens her eyes only to close them from the intensity of the sun rays. Without a word she sits up and opens her eyes again, this time to see miles of sand. "What is this place?" She asks.

"I don't know, but somehow we got separated from everyone else." Ryou says. "I think they might be over in that town. Without the millennium ring I don't really know."

Tama raises her hand to shield her eyes from the sun and then looks around until she spots the little town in the middle of an oasis. "Whoa. We're so not in Kansas anymore."

"Agreed." Ryou says. "Maybe we should go to the town and find out where we're at."

"Good idea."

0-0-0

Yumeri yawns as her eyes flicker open and then closed. Almost instinctively she snuggles closer to the warmth beside her.

The thing she's laying on chuckles, sending vibrations through her body. "You're such an angel when you're sleeping."

Yumeri tries to open her eyes, her mind on high alert. _'What the hell?! Why am I laying on Bakura? And why am I asleep anyway?'_ "And you're a devil whether you're asleep or awake." She hears herself say in an amused tone.

'_What the hell is going on?!' _She screams internally.

_We're reliving the past. _Bakura's says, his voice echoing through her mind. _We're going through memories of our last day together. There's nothing we can do except watch and listen._

'_But why are we together? What the hell is going on here, Bakura?'_

_If you would shut up and pay attention then you would know._

Yumeri opens her eyes to the sight of a bare-chested Bakura and smiles. "I could get used to this." She says softly.

"You would get in too much trouble. You're pushing it already." Bakura reminds her.

Yumeri sits up abruptly. "The sun's up?"

"Yes." Bakura replies.

"Shit." Yumeri curses. "I've got to go. I've got stuff to do today! Atemu and Seth are going to kill me and give Isis my remains to dissect!"

Bakura watches in amusement as Yumeri scrambles from their bed wearing nothing more than a short cream colored dressed. Clothes are soon flying about the room from her trying to locate her hooded robe and royal clothes.

She eventually locates them and pulls them on and then quickly puts on her jewelry and make-up before she pulls her the hood over her head.

By the time she's done, Bakura is standing up and waiting for her by the door. When she walks over to him he bends down and gives her a kiss. "Stay safe, my Yume." He whispers when they part.

"I will." Yumeri promises. "You stay safe."

Bakura nods. "As safe as a thief can be."

"And not just any thief; the King of Thieves." Yumeri says proudly before she leaves the tent without even a glance back.

0-0-0

Back with Ryou and Tama the two have entered the town and are trying to get someone to help them.

"Excuse me!" Tama loudly says. "Can you possibly--" She stops and growls when the man who's attention she was trying to get just keeps walking. "What is wrong with the people in this damn town?! Are they so busy that they can't even stop to answer a single damn question?!"

Ryou looks around in confusion, stopping in the middle of the street. He yells out when a bunch of kids run toward him without looking where they're going. He throws up his arms defensively and braces himself for the impact.

It never comes.

"They went right through you." Tama says in shock. "What is this place?" She asks herself.

Ryou lowers his arms back down to his sides. "Well… we came here- to Egypt I mean- to get back the spirits' memories. So maybe we're in their memories. Or something like that."

"Fanfuckingtastic." Tama mutters. "But where's everyone else? It doesn't make sense that we're here and everyone else isn't."

"Unless they went to a different part of the memories." Ryou says logically. "Lets look for Bakura and Yumeri and see if following one of them will lead up to the others. They're bound to be looking for the pharaoh, right?"

0-0-0

In another part of Egypt, outside of the palace, are Yugi, Anzu, Katsuya, Honda, and Seto. The five of them are busy trying to find some way or another into the palace, but keep getting distracted. First there was Katsuya and Honda's hunger, then they met Babosa, and then they saw Kisara and who had to have been Seto's past self.

(But everyone already knows what's happening with them and Yami, so we'll go back to the others.)

0-0-0

Yumeri slowly slides open the wall just an inch or so and peers out to see if the coast is clear. She sighs in relief when she sees that it is. "Thank Isis." She murmurs, sliding it open the rest of the way so she can step into the hall. As she's closing the opening one of the guards, a young man named Jono, walks around the corner and spots her.

"Lady Yumeri!" Jono shouts.

Yumeri winces, thinking she's been caught by someone who will report her to Seth or to her cousin.

Jono runs over to her and stops a few feet away. "What are you doing trying to sneak out of the palace during the day?" He asks with a wink. "You should be preparing for your meeting with the Shadow Guards!"

Yumeri looks at Jono in a mixture of surprise and relief. Relief that it's he who caught her and surprised at how he always knows everything. "Jono… how do you always know everything that goes on around here?"

Jono laughs. "That's easy, milady. The servants hear _everything_. And since I talk to most of the servants (read: harasses the cooks) _I _hear everything."

"Ahh, that explains it." Yumeri says. "You promise not to tell anyone I've been out all night?" She asks.

"It's a promise." Jono agrees. "But you know, one of these days I want to go along with you."

Yumeri smiles. "There's a chance. If you don't mind doing something slightly illegal that is." She jokes. "Now where exactly is this meeting that I'm suppose to be attending and am most likely late to?"

Jono motions for her to follow him and then starts walking. "If there's one thing I've learnt it's that royalty is never late.

Yumeri rolls her eyes. "I'm only half royalty and it's only because Atemu is my cousin that I haven't been banished for disrupting the peace or anything."

"I'm sure it's more than that." Jono tells her, stopping after turning another corner. "Go straight down the hall and it's the last door on the left before the next turn. Good luck."

"Thanks." Yumeri says. "And I'll see you tonight. Wear something more peasant-like and make sure it has a hood." With an almost predatorily look in her eyes she gives him a smile and then hurries down the hall to the meeting.

Jono shakes his head and starts walking back to his post, making sure to take a good look at the area he found Yumeri sneaking in from. 'I think I will join her.'

0-0-0

"Is it possible to be this hot when we're in a memory?" Tama pants as she and Ryou trek through the desert after who can only be Yumeri.

"Apparently so." Ryou replies tiredly. "I think I see the palace ahead, if that helps."

Tama sighs in relief. "Maybe we'll be able to find the others soon. If they're even here that is."

"I'm sure they are." Ryou says. "For now lets just hope we're not seeing things."

"If we're both seeing the same thing then most likely we're not seeing things." Tama says smartly. "That was the first thing I learnt when daddy brought Kiba, Seto, Mokuba, Malik, and I to Egypt on business a few years ago."

"Good to know."

0-0-0

Back in the palace the day is dragging by for Yumeri, who has gone through her two-hour meeting with the Shadow Guards and is now in a meeting with the priests and single priestess.

Yumeri yawns, completely bored with the subject of new alters in the shrine. Seth notices but says nothing, bored with the conversation himself.

What feels like hours later but is really only five minutes, Yumeri is "rescued" by Jono coming to tell her that the head guard needs to see her.

With a cheerful smile Yumeri bids the priests goodbye and lets Jono escort her from the room. Once they're in the hallway she breathes a sigh of relief. "Thanks for the rescue, Jono. One more second of listening to whether red or purple drapes would look best in the throne room and I would have gone crazy!"

"You're already crazy." Jono says jokingly. "Now go on, the captain wants to talk to you about that break-in we had when the pharaoh took the throne."

Yumeri's expression turns grim. "Well this is going to be a happy conversation. 'Lady Yumeri, where the hell were you?!', 'Oh, I was so busy sneaking out of the palace that I couldn't protect my cousin.' Joy." She sarcastically says.

Jono laughs. "Just try and bend the truth a little. Or tell as much as the truth as you can without revealing anything at all. You're good at that."

"That's not the greatest thing to be proud of, but that is a good idea." Yumeri says. "Thanks for the idea, Jono. See you tonight?"

Jono nods.

"Good. Now I have something to look forward to." Yumeri says. "See you later. I have an angry captain to talk to."

0-0-0

"Baaaaakuurrrraaaaa!" Mariku sings as she steps into his partner's tent. "It's a wonderful day to go steal something, so get off your lazy ass and get the hell out of this tent and come join me!"

Bakura just pulls on his red coat. "I'm busy Mariku."

Mariku scowls. "Is it just me or have you been obsessed with Atemu lately? And I know I'm not the only one who has noticed. Yumeri has noticed as well. In fact, she was the one to point it out to me."

"I have not been obsessing over the damn pharaoh." Bakura growls. "As soon as I have my revenge things will go back to normal."

"At what cost?" Mariku demands. "The cost of your life? At the risk of losing your wife? You know that whatever stress you put on Atemu and the palace puts stress on Yumeri. After all, she's part of the Shadow Guard and commands the normal soldiers and guards."

"She'll be fine." Bakura growls. "Leave me be. Today is the day." He says as he bruses right past Mariku.

Mariku turns a worried eye onto his friend and watches as Bakura leaves. He clenches his fist, crumpling the tarot card he is holding. "Damn it, Bakura. Now is not the time for your so-called revenge." Dark lilac eyes narrow in determination. "I have to stop him."

0-0-0

Yumeri boredly listens as the captain rants on about how Bakura snuck into the palace after desecrating the tomb of the previous pharaoh. He continues on until one of the guards bursts through the door yelling, "Sir! It's the thief Bakura! He's back!"

The captain curses and jumps up. "Quickly! Issue all guards and soldiers the order to protect the pharaoh at all costs!" He turns to face Yumeri to ask her what her orders are, but she's already gone and running down the hall. Cursing again the captain turns back around and glares at his subordinate. "What are you waiting for?! Go!"

Down the hall Yumeri slowly comes to a stop in an empty hallway. With a loud curse she swings a fist into the stone wall, wincing when pain races up through her entire arm. "Damn you, Bakura." She mutters. "I thought you were over the whole revenge thing." She sighs and lowers her arm. "I have to stop him before he either gets himself killed or actually kills Atemu. I have no desire to live without my husband or being ruler of Egypt. But I'll need help…" She reaches up and grasps her golden pendant. "And I know just who to ask." Her mind made up, Yumeri runs to the secret passage she uses to get outside and slides open the wall and slips through.

As caught up in her thoughts as she is, she doesn't notice that one of the many men in the Shadow Guard that hates her has heard everything she said, including the part about Bakura being her husband.

He smirks. _'Your downfall is coming, bitch.'_

0-0-0

Outside Yumeri runs as fast as she can out onto the streets, ignoring the masses of screaming people.

"YUMERI!"

Yumeri looks in the direction from which she heard her name being called to see Mariku racing over to her on his gorgeous bay. "Mariku!" She exclaims when he gets close enough. "What are you doing here?"

"Trying to stop Bakura!" Mariku responds over the crowd. "What are you doing out here? And shouldn't you be in your Shadow Guard uniform?"

"It's under my cloak." Yumeri answers the second question. "And I'm out here for the same reason that you are: to stop Bakura."

"Great. I'll take the ground and you take the sky?" Mariku asks. "The best way to find him and try to stop him is if we go both ways. And your dragons will be able to sense where Diabound is."

Yumeri almost shivers at the mention of Bakura's chimera-like shadow monster. "Agreed." She says.

Mariku nods and races off on Bakura's trail while Yumeri hurries out of the village so she can summon one of her three guardian dragons; Dragon of Chaotic Darkness.

The large black dragon rises into the sky, ebony wings unfurled to their full length, and lets out a roar that can be heard for miles around. Many people stop and stare in awe and fear at the giant creature. Two of those people are Ryou and Tama, who have finally gotten into town and are looking for the others.

Tama looks at the dragon in surprise for a moment before she grabs Ryou's wrist and starts going down a path that looks like it will lead to the dragon.

"Is it really wise to be going toward the huge dragon?" Ryou asks worriedly.

"That's the Dragon of Chaotic Darkness and there's only one person who could have summoned it and that's Yumeri." Tama replies, not letting go of his wrist.

Ryou is silent for a moment as he goes over an idea forming in his mind. "Since we're in a memory from ancient Egypt, that means duel monsters are real here, right?"

"Yeah."

"So it stands to reason if one of us were to summon one of our duel monsters we could get along faster, right?" Ryou asks.

Tama stops and turns around, still not letting go of Ryou's wrist. "You're brilliant!" She exclaims.

Ryou blushes a little. "Thanks."

Tama lets go of his wrist to check her pockets for her deck. She frowns when she can't find it and then makes the motion of smacking herself on the head and opens the pouch tied onto her right leg and takes out her deck. "Alright, here's to hoping the first card is a good one!" She slides the top card off her deck and smiles. "Perfect."

Ryou tries to move to see what card Tama has drawn, but she moves too quickly for him.

"I summon Kiryu!"

Ryou gulps at the sight of the fierce red dragon as it appears with a roar, spiked tail lashing. The next thing he knows, Tama is pulling him closer to the dragon and helping him up on its back. Once he's up there, Tama climbs on as well and sits down in front of him.

"Hang on tight. I'm pretty sure Kiryu is a fast flyer." Tama warns. "Kiryu! Take flight!" She orders without waiting for a reply from Ryou. "We need to follow the Dragon of Chaotic Darkness."

Kiryu looks uneasy at the prospect of following one of the ruling dragons, which makes Tama sigh. "Alright… just take flight so we can try and find our friends." She instructs.

Kiryu gives a roar of appreciation and then unfurls its wings and flying quickly into the air.

Ryou wraps his arms around Tama's waist and closes his eyes before leaning his head on Tama's shoulder, not at all liking the feeling. Meanwhile Tama grabs a hold of one of the many spikes on Kiryu's back so she and Ryou don't fall off.

"Isn't this great?" She asks gleefully, enjoying the feeling. "Whoa! All of the people down there look like ants!" She laughs. "Kiryu, we need to get a little closer. It's hard to see anyone from way up here."

Ryou holds on tighter as they descend until Tama gives the order to stop descending.

"Ryou, are you going to help?" Tama asks, noticing the white-haired boy has his eyes closed.

Ryou shakes his head. "No. Altitude sickness."

"Why didn't you say something before? I would have gone through my deck to try and find my two Amazoness Tiger cards!" Tama exclaims. "Jeez." She lets out a sigh. "Well I guess it's too late now. Kiryu! We're looking for a group of people that don't fit in in this time period! One of them should have hair colored similarly to mine except his is all spiked up."

Kiryu roars in reply and speeds up, its sharp eyes quickly scanning the crowds.

Ryou whimpers a little and clings more tightly to Tama.

"Don't worry Ryou." Tama whispers. "I won't let you fall."

"Faster Darkness!" Yumeri yells over the sound of flapping and air rushing past over Chaotic Darkness's scales and wings. "Bakura's right ahead!"

"_I see him, Yumeri."_ Chaotic Darkness says, his deep voice purring gently with amusement. _"Hold on tight!"_

Yumeri grips one of the spikes that runs down Chaotic Darkness's back as the black dragon speeds up and begins flying down to the sand. Together they soar over Bakura, who looks up at them with an annoyed expression on his face.

When she's close enough to the ground, Yumeri jumps off of Chaotic Darkness's back and lands in front of Bakura. Chaotic Darkness just keeps going, his duty done for the time.

Bakura yanks back on the reigns, forcing his horse to come to a stop. "What are you doing, Yumeri?" He growls out. "Let me pass!"

"No!" Yumeri yells stubbornly, spreading her arms defiantly. "Stop this foolishness before you get yourself killed, Bakura!"

"I will have my revenge for what that bastard did to my family! To my village!" Bakura yells. "He took them all away from me!"

"And what am I to you?! Nothing?!" Yumeri yells back, holding up her hand from which a golden ring shimmers on one of her fingers. "Am I not your wife? Am I not still here?" She demands angrily.

"You don't get it! You've always lived comfortably in the damn palace because your daddy," Bakura practically spits out the word. "is one of the pharaoh's damn advisors!"

"Then explain it to me! Explain to me why you believe killing Atemu will avenge your family and village when he did nothing! He was seven, eight at the most at that time! And if you are to blame royalty then you may very well blame me as well!"

"Why the hell are you defending him!?" Bakura demands.

"BECAUSE HE'S MY FUCKING COUSIN, YOU BASTARD!!!" Yumeri screams out all her frustrations, her hatred of Bakura's idea of revenge.

The two fall silent except for Yumeri's harsh breathing.

"He's your what?" Bakura growls dangerously, getting down from his horse without taking his eyes off of Yumeri. He walks over to her and places his fingers under her chin and tilts her chin up until her eyes meet his. "Tell me."

"He's my cousin." Yumeri says clearly, her eyes holding no remorse. "Atemu and I are cousins and that is why I live in the palace, besides my father being an advisor."

"LADY YUMERI!!!"

The two are interrupted by the yell of one of the Shadow Guards. Soon an entire group of Shadow Guards appears over a sand dune and Yumeri curses when she sees who is leading the group: a young man with hateful eyes and hair the color of new silt delivered by the Nile.

"Strike one!" He yells.

Several of the Shadow Guards automatically aim their arrows at Bakura and shoot. With a loud curse Yumeri shoves Bakura out of the way, taking the arrows in his stead. As arrows pierce through her side, her arm, and a leg, she takes one last look at the shocked expression on Bakura's face and thinks, _'Damn that sleeping poison!'_ as she slips off into unconsciousness.

0-0-0

Some time later…

"I don't see them." Tama mutters. "Where on Earth are they? They have to be around here somewhere." She glances back at Ryou, who is looking more and more green by the second. 'I've got to get Ryou back on the ground. Dragon flight doesn't seem to agree with him very well. And since when has he been 'Ryou' to me?' She wonders.

Kiryu suddenly roars, knocking Tama out of her musings. Tama looks ahead and gasps when she sees a ball of lightning flying right toward them. She curses loudly, tells Ryou to hold on tight, and gives Kiryu the order to try and dodge it.

Kiryu dodges it to the best of its ability, but gets clipped on the side by some of the lightning. It affects Tama more than it does Kiryu.

Tama yells out in pain and lets go of Kiryu's spike to clutch at her side. Without warning Kiryu pitches to the side and Tama slips off of the dragon's back and begins falling. Ryou cries out when he feels her slip and holds on more tightly to one of Kiryu's spikes.

Fortunately, Tama can concentrate enough through the pain to grab onto a spike on Kiryu's leg. "Ryou, help!" She yells, fearful of falling. It may be just a memory, but damage can still be done.

Ryou hesitantly opens his eyes, his desire of saving Tama overcoming his fear. He trembles a moment when he sees her barely hanging on but then takes a breath and forces back any fear. "Hold on!" He shouts. "I'll try and reach you!" He takes one hand off of the spike he's holding onto and reaches down to her, stretching as far as he can without hurting himself badly. His muscles strain as he tries to reach her and once Tama reaches up with one hand their fingertips brush and strengthen his resolve to pull her up.

Tama bites her lip and tries to pull herself up more so she can grab Ryou's hand, but in her attempts to pull herself up and from sweating so much her hand on the spike begins to slip. She glances down fearfully and makes one last attempt to strain her muscles past what they can handle and pull herself up to grab Ryou's hand. Just as their fingertips brush again, this time not just fleetingly, her grip slips and she plummets to the ground far below.

"TAMA!" Ryou screams. Led on by instincts and fear alone, he jumps after her in hopes of saving her. Kiryu roars and goes into a dive, folding its wings in order to fall more quickly, but before the dragon can even make it to Ryou its strength it was receiving from Tama gives out and it fades away, leaving mere traces of energy behind.

0-0-0

Elsewhere, Yumeri stumbles out of the palace dressed in simple cloth dress with the help of Jono. "Take me up onto the wall, Jono." She murmurs weakly.

Jono nods and picks her up without a word, carrying her up the stairs that lead to the top of the wall overlooking Egypt. He carefully sets her down when they reach the top and then helps her sit down on the wall before taking a seat next to her. From their spot on the wall they can both see the damage Atemu and Bakura's battle is causing.

"Neither of them is going to make it, are they?" Jono asks knowingly, his hazel eyes sadly trained on the two fighting kings.

Yumeri shakes her head. "No. I don't think so." She says, before she turns her head to look at Jono. "I want you to promise me one thing, Jono: take care of Seth for me."

Jono jerks his head around and looks at her in surprise, not wanting to accept what she's saying. "But Lady-"

"No." Yumeri interrupts, raising a single pale hand. Although weak, her voice carries its usual air of power and confidence. "Jono, you know as well as I do that I never took the antidote for the poison. And even if I had I would have died of heartbreak or of one of the Shadow Guards murdering me. And anyway," She casts her eyes back out to Atemu and Bakura. "I know what's going to happen."

"Isis told you then." Jono says, defeated.

Yumeri nods. "Yes. Fate has dictated I die here with Bakura and be reunited with him in the future. I won't argue with that."

Jono sighs. "I don't suppose you can." He wraps his arms around her shoulders, seeking comfort from his strongest friend.

The two shield their eyes as the combined three god monsters obliviate Zork, sending him out of their planet for the rest of eternity.

"This is it." Yumeri whispers, laying her head on Jono's shoulder. "You're my best friend, you know that, Jono?"

Jono smiles sadly, feeling his time with her growing short. "I know." He whispers.

Yumeri nods and closes her eyes. "Please don't leave me." She says weakly, sounding defeated for the first time.

Jono forces himself to swallow and fights back tears. "I won't." He promises her. "I'll be by your side through the sands of time, ready to help you when you need it most." His lips quiver a moment, but he straightens himself out in his determination to remain strong for Yumeri.

With a soft smile on her face, Yumeri gives a soft sigh and drifts off into sleep, her heartbeat slowing down until it stops completely. Around her neck the dragon pendant activates its last bit of magic, ensuring the future will go as planned.

0-0-0

Moments before Yumeri's passing, right before the defeat of Zork, Ryou has fallen fast enough that he has caught up to Tama and grabbed her hand. In a brilliant flash of light, pure white wings explode from Ryou's back. The feathers of light shimmer ethereally, acting as prisms and casting small rainbows over the two of them.

Tama looks at the wings in amazement, reaching one hand up to brush against the features, expecting to feel nothing. She gasps when her hand comes in contact with very solid feathers, that send a warmth tingling from her fingertips all the way down her arm. She breaks her gaze away from the wings to look Ryou in the eye with a soft smile. "My angel."

Ryou blushes, his entire face going red. "I- I'm no angel." He murmurs.

"To me you are." Tama says, quickly kissing him on the cheek before her bout of confidence leaves her.

0-0-0

With a bright flash of light and curses promising pain and torture, the group who journeyed to the past lands in a heap in front of the stone tablet. Mariku, Yumeri, Bakura, and Yami are among that group.

"What the heck?" Tama groans. "Oh, my back. Jounouchi, you're my pal and all but you're really heavy. Get off."

"Eh? Sorry!"

Eventually they all get untangled and look around in confusion, sticking together in little groups. Katsuya, Yugi, Yami, Seto, Anzu, and Honda stand together, Katsuya and Seto standing a little closer than usual. Yumeri stands right between Bakura and Mariku, running her hands down her arms trying to chase away goosebumps. Standing by themselves are Tama and Ryou, who are determinedly not meeting each others eye after their little moment in the past. Tama's arm still tingles from where she touched Ryou's wings of light.

"So what do we do now?" Mariku asks, breaking the silence that had fallen over them all.

Isis appears at that statement, along with Ashling, Liam, Noa, Malik, and Mokuba.

"Now we must journey across the Nile to the pharaoh's true tomb." Isis says. "With the completion of a ritual the pharaoh, Mariku, Yumeri, and Bakura will all go to their rightful place, leaving behind this world.

A heavy silence follows that statement.

"Well… we should get going." Yugi says. "There's no use in delaying it…" He looks sadly up at Yami, who avoids meeting his gaze. The smaller looks away sadly.

"Let us go." Isis says, turning around and walking away frm the stone tablet.

Everyone else follows, heavy thoughts weighing on their minds.


	27. Chapter 23: The End of the Beginning

Disclaimer: Saying that I own Yugioh is like saying that the whole world loves George W. Bush. It just ain't true.

_**-F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S-**_

Chapter 23: The End of the Beginning

It has been two weeks since the four yami's went to the afterlife and life for the group in Domino City is beginning to return to normal. Katsuya and Seto have been out on several dates together and have been on two double dates with Malik and Ashling and one double date with Honda and Miho.

All of them have been accepted at the colleges they wanted to go to and Anzu has gotten the scholarship she needed.

Mai has returned to Domino City for a duel monsters tournament taking place there. Seto, Mokuba, Katsuya, and Tama have all signed up for the tournament as well.

And since Anzu will soon be leaving for America the girls have planned what could be their final girls night out together. And while the girls are preparing for their night out, the boys are planning a night in.

"Katsuya, did you pick up those movies?" Seto asks over the phone, trying his best to ignore Tama and Ashling, who are arguing with Malik and Liam over their choice of clothes.

"This is how everyone dresses at the club, Malik!" Tama yells. "Most of the time there are people wearing even more revealing clothing than this!" She gestures to her slate gray corset-like top that laces up with blue ribbon and her matching slate gray mini skirt that laces up on either side in the same blue ribbon. To go along with the outfit are her old faded black combat boots that now have blue shoe strings.

"I don't care what the other people wear to the club! It's too much!" Malik yells.

"Just because I'm actually dressing like a girl for once doesn't mean you can get all over me about it!" Tama yells back. "Both of you are being absobloodylutely ridiculous about this!" She grabs Ashling's hand and begins tugging the blonde girl, who is dressed to match Tama except her outfit is black and red, to the door.

All of the boys wince when the door slams shut.

"_Seto? Is everything okay over there?"_ Katsuya asks.

Seto sighs. "I don't know anymore. Malik and Liam are both having a fit over what Ashling and Tama are wearing."

"_And you saw nothing wrong with it?"_ Katsuya asks. _"That's not like you. Usually you're the one worrying and 'throwing a fit'."_ He teases.

"They're eighteen now." Seto says. "Tama and Ashling both know how to fight and Anzu doesn't have a bad punch. And I sent Blue after them." He adds.

Katsuya laughs. _"I should have known! So what were they wearing, anyway?"_

Seto briefly describes the two girls' outfits. "Shizuka's not wearing anything similar, is she?"

"_Dunno. Mai came over here about a half hour ago and the two haven't left Shizuka's room since."_ Katsuya replies_. "She'd better not be wearing the same thing. Hang on, they're coming out."_

There's a moment of silence on Katsuya's end as he takes in what his little sister is wearing. _"Mai, you'd better make sure you keep an eye on her!"_ He says. _"If one hair on my baby sister's head is harmed, you're gonna be the one I go after first!"_

"_Katsuya…" _Shizuka can be heard sighing.

"_Don't worry, I'll take good care of her."_ Mai promises_. "Now go on back to talking to your lover and let us be."_

"_That Mai really gets on my nerves."_ Katsuya mutters to Seto.

"_I can hear you!"_ Mai yells.

Seto chuckles. _'Things are going back to normal. It's about time.'_

0-0-0

Club Neon

Anzu, Mai, Shizuka, and Miho arrive together at the club and make their way to the table they reserved. To their surprise, Ashling and Tama are already there with their soda's and look to be having a serious conversation.

Mai decides she needs to fix this. Gracefully she slips into the booth beside Tama and tugs the soda the Muto girl is holding out of her hands and sets it on the table. "Come on. You're going to dance with me first." She says, taking Tama's wrist. "We came here to have fun, not hold serious conversations!"

After Mai and Tama slide out of the booth to go dancing, Anzu, Shizuka, and Miho take their seats at the booth around Ashling.

"So what's up?" Anzu asks. "You and Tama did look like you were having a serious conversation."

Ashling sighs and pushes away her drink. "Liam and Malik are being immature about our clubbing thing."

"They're guys, Ashling. Of course they're immature." Anzu says. "Now let me guess: they didn't like your clubbing outfit."

Ashling nods.

"My dad almost didn't let me out." Miho remarks, twirling a strand of her curled hair. "But then I promised to wear my long jacket and made a remark of it being no worse than the school uniform."

Shizuka giggles. "I'm actually surprised Katsuya let me out of the apartment."

"He probably saw what Mai's wearing and was happy your skirt is longer than hers." Anzu says. "Which reminds me, why is Shizuka the only one with a long skirt?"

"Because she's only a sophomore in high school." Ashling says. "The rest of us are getting ready to start college and we're eighteen."

"Actually, I'm only seventeen." Anzu points out. "I don't turn eighteen until August eighteenth."

"Oh yeah! I can't believe I forgot that." Ashling says, feeling rather foolish. "Sorry, Anzu."

Anzu shrugs. "It doesn't matter. Now lets get out there and dance and have fun!"

0-0-0

Later that night the girls collapse in exhaustion at their booth after ordering new drinks. For about five minutes they sit there and rest and catch their breath before they start talking.

"So Mai," Tama deviously peers at the older woman. "the rest of us are all dating or have a crush." She winks at Anzu, who gives her a 'tell-an-face-my-wrath' look. "but what about you?"

"I flirt, not date." Mai says matter-of-factly. "Having a boyfriend at this time would hinder my dream."

"Really?" Ashling asks, catching onto Tama's idea. "It sounds like you're scared to me."

"Those so-called 'men' are too immature." Mai says dismissively. "Show me one decent guy who's not immature, not a slob, and who has a steady job and I may give him a chance. And he needs to look good." She adds as afterthought.

"Fine." Tama says. "How about him?" She points over to the bar area at a man around Mai's age who has wavy black hair bound by a navy blue ribbon and who has deep ocean blue eyes. It's Blue.

Mai looks over in the direction Tama's pointing. "Well… He's cute, I'll give him that." She says. "But who is he?"

"Alasdair Albion, but he goes by Blue." Tama says. "He works for my dad as a bodyguard and it seems Seto has decided to send him to keep an eye on us. How about you go talk to him, Mai? He always gets bored when my brothers have him do this."

"Yeah, and Blue's really nice." Anzu inserts.

Mai sighs and gives in. "Fine. But don't expect anything to come of this." She warns before she slides out of the booth and sashays over to the bar, which makes the other girls laugh.

"They'd be so cute together." Miho breathes.

"Yeah, they would." Shizuka agrees.

0-0-0

August comes all too soon and along with it comes time for Anzu to leave for New York City and everyone else to prepare for school or college. On Anzu's last day everyone gathers at Yugi's house in the shop.

"I can't believe you're leaving tomorrow." Katsuya sadly tells Anzu. "It just won't be the same without you. I know that going to the school is New York is a dream come true for you, but I can't help but wish you were starting college here with us."

"I think Jounouchi has said the one thing all of us have thought at some point or another today." Mokuba says.

"I'm going to miss all of you guys too." Anzu says sadly, looking around at all of her friends. "I mean, I'm going to a completely different country. You guys have one another to lean on and I'll have nobody until I make friends again."

"Anzu, I'm sure you'll make friends quickly." Ashling says. "You're one of the easiest people to like because you're so friendly."

Anzu smiles, appreciative of the compliment. "Thanks, Ashling."

"Now lets have Anzu's last day be cheerful!" Liam suggests. "We don't want her last day with us to be all sad. How about we go to the beach or something."

"I do love the beach…" Anzu says wistfully.

"To the beach it is!" Yugi says cheerfully. "Volunteers for transportation?"

"I'll call Blue." Malik says.

"I'll call my driver." Otogi says boredly.

"I'll call mine so we won't be packed." Noa says with a sigh, knowing that Tama and Mokuba will eventually convince him to do so.

They hang out at the beach all day just laughing and having fun. Katsuya, Yugi, and Ryou spend most of the time building a huge sand castle while Seto and Noa sit nearby reading or doing work. Away from them Honda, Anzu, Mokuba, Liam, and Ashling are against Mai, Blue, Otogi, Malik, and Tama in beach volleyball. And cheering on the ten are Miho and Shizuka.

Toward the end of the day they all go play in the water and splash one another and throw a beach ball around. Even Noa joins in, although Tama threatening him with blackmail might have something to do with that.

They don't get back to their homes until after midnight because Tama and Katsuya insisted on stopping for food and then Ashling got a call from Damian so they were at the restaurant for longer than they needed to be.

0-0-0

The next day Anzu leaves for New York and everyone goes to the airport to see her off. After that they all split up and go keep themselves busy.

Yugi just goes back to his house, not feeling much like doing anything else that day. 'First Yami leaves and now Anzu is in New York.' He thinks bitterly. He bumps into someone with dark skin and blonde hair that spikes up wildly.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" The man says.

Yugi apologizes without looking up and continues on his way. 'I hope things start getting better from this point on. I don't want anyone else I care about to go away.'

0-0-0

Back down the street, the man Yugi ran into stops and stares after him, lowering his dark sunglasses to reveal bottomless dark lilac eyes.

"Mariku, are you coming or not?" One of his companions, a young man with skin the same shade as his and white hair that contrasts sharply with it. Beside him is a young woman with lighter toned skin than theirs and dark red hair and black bangs.

"Yeah, I'm coming." Mariku says without taking his eyes off of Yugi. "Strange town. That runt looks like Atemu."

The female shrugs. "Everyone has a twin somewhere, you know that? Maybe you'll find yours and can torment him." She smirks. "Or maybe your twin will be the evil twin."

The other male rolls his eyes. "Yumeri, Mariku is about as evil as it gets."

"That's insane." Mariku corrects. "I'm as _insane_ as it gets. Bakura, _you_ are as evil as it gets."

"And that leaves Atemu with 'as good as it gets'." Yumeri remarks. "Now lets get back to the thrice-damned apartment before 'as good as it gets' gets all pissy with us again because he thinks we're tormenting people in the city."

"Whoopee."


	28. Chapter 24: The Epilogue

Disclaimer: Saying that I own Yugioh is like saying that the whole world loves George W. Bush. It just ain't true.

_**-F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S-**_

Chapter 24: The Epilogue

**Summer of Year 2028 - 20 Years Later**

Domino City

Tama sits comfortable in her leather computer chair, absent-mindedly twirling a strand of her now short dark red and sandy blonde hair around her index finger. Lilac eyes carefully watch the computer screen, waiting for a reply from an old friend. Her lips curve upwards into a smile at the reply she receives and then she leans in and types something back. "Perfect."

0-0-0

A lot has changed in the twenty years since Anzu left Domino City, most of which are good things.

First there was the return of Yami (now Atemu), Mariku, Bakura, and Yumeri, although it was just them reincarnated so they didn't remember any of them. Then there was Ashling and Malik's wedding, which was shortly followed by Ryou and Tama getting locked in a closet together and becoming a couple.

Don't ask.

There have been many marriages and several people who have moved around. Those who have married are (of course) Malik and Ashling, Bakura and Yumeri, Seto and Katsuya, Atemu and Yugi, Ryou and Tama, Otogi and Shizuka, Honda and Miho, Blue and Mai, Damian and Riley, Liam and Anzu, Mariku and Holly, Noa and Mimi (his maid), and Mokuba and Nixx. Kiba was once married to an English girl and had a daughter, but then they divorced. His daughter lives with him. Now he's engaged to a pretty Egyptian girl named Sanura, who gets along with him and his daughter.

Ashling, Malik, Liam, and Anzu live together in Virginia at the lake house. Malik and Ashling live in the upstairs part with their three kids; the 15-year-old twins Zahur and Kian and their daughter 12-year-old Ophelia. Liam and Anzu live downstairs with their two kids 9-year-old Yasuo and 5-year-old Neil.

Otogi and Shizuka live in California with their 12-year-old son Kevin. They sometimes get together with Ashling, Malik, Liam, and Anzu and their kids.

Damian and Riley live in a cute cape cod house up in Upstate New York with their 8-year-old daughter Ebony.

Over in Domino City Seto, Katsuya, Mokuba, and Nixx live together with their children. On one side of the mansion is Seto and Katsuya and their four children, the 16-year-old triplets Maiya, Jiro, and Suzu, and 13-year-old Chizu. On the other side are Mokuba and Nixx and their two kids 12-year-old Ryouzen and 11-year-old Kiri.

Tama and Ryou live in the Dragon's Den with their two kids 16-year-old Amane and 11-year-old Taro. Bakura and Yumeri live right next door to them with their two kids 17-year-old Yasu and 16-year-old Ammon. Right down the road from them are Mariku and Holly and their son Ryan, who is 14-years-old.

Atemu and Yugi live at the game shop with their 17-year-old daughter Suma. Down the road from them are Honda and Miho and their daughter, 7-year-old Miyuki.

Out near where Seto, Katsuya, Mokuba, and Nixx live is Noa, still in the same mansion, with Mimi and their daughter Mimiko, who is 3-years-old.

Blue and Mai have a house in Domino City, although they are rarely there because they travel to different tournaments; Mai to participate in them and Blue to keep an eye on his charges. They have a son named Shigeru who is 12-years-old.

Kojiro still lives in New York, except now he lives in a house instead of an apartment room. It's small enough for one person but big enough that there's enough room when he has company. The large carpeted basement helps a lot.

Isis lives in Egypt and works at a museum there. She still lives in her childhood home and is currently seeing someone.

Kiba lives at a nice apartment with his daughter, 8-year-old Yuki, and his fiancé Sanura. They share the entire top floor of the building.

While they have all stayed in touch with one another, and a few have met over the years, they haven't all been together for twenty years.

Tama has decided to change that.

She has organized a big get-together at the Dragon's Den and invited everyone to come. Kojiro liked the idea so much that he volunteered to pay for airplane tickets so that everyone could go. That proved to be the most important thing, as that ensured that everyone would be able to go and not worry about having enough money to get overseas.

0-0-0

Backyard of the Bakura Family's House

Chairs, benches, and towels to sit on have been arranged in a circular pattern toward the back of the yard near a white painted picket fence. Sitting on one of the benches are Ashing and Liam, who are both wearing blue shirts and a pair of jeans.

"This is so exciting." Ashling breathes. "It's been so long since we've seen everyone."

"So where's Tama, Malik, and Anzu go?" Liam asks, looking around. "They were right behind us, weren't they?"

Ashling shakes her head. "No. Malik and Tama are waiting for Isis to get here and Anzu's waiting for Jounouchi and Honda. Malik and Tama should be out any time now."

Right after she says that Malik slides open the glass back door and steps outside while talking to Isis. Malik is wearing a navy blue t-shirt and a pair of black jeans while Isis is wearing an off-white v-neck shirt and a matching long skirt. Different from what she used to wear is Isis's hairstyle; her hair is shorter than it used to be and she wears it up in a ponytail. In each ear is a pair of gold ankh shaped dangling earrings.

Tama is right behind the two, dressed in a white tank top that has flames on the bottom. Her jeans are the same, except in black instead of white. Around her neck are two necklaces, a black choker with a red ruby in the center of it and a golden chain with an ankh on the end that stays tucked under her shirt. On her upper left arm is a tattooed dragon wing done in black lines.

Malik takes a seat next to Ashling and kisses her on the cheek while Isis sits down on one of the lawn chairs and Tama sits down on one of the towels.

"So where's your better half?" Liam teasingly asks Tama. Even after all these years have passed, Liam has retained his teasing nature and his ability to remain comfortable around people he hasn't seen in years.

"Where's yours?" Tama shoots back, just as playfully. "Ryou's off getting our neighborhood psychopaths. He'll be back soon." She says.

The five of them look up as Seto, Mokuba, and Kiba exit the house, excitedly discussing Kiba's engagement. Seto is wearing a button-up blue silk shirt and a pair of black pants. His hair is longer than when he was a teen and he keeps it tied back in a small ponytail. In each of his ears is one small gold hoop earrings.

Mokuba is dressed more comfortable than his brother and is wearing an old band t-shirt and a pair of ragged looking jeans that have seen better days. His hair is just as long as it was when he was a kid, if not longer, and he keeps it pulled back in a ponytail now. In each ear he wears two silver hoop earrings and around his neck is an ankh necklace that matches Tama's.

Kiba's style has changed the most. Gone are his days of wearing nothing more than band t-shirts, jeans, and growing his hair long. He now wears more professional clothes, like button-up shirts and pants. For the reunion however, he's wearing a simple dark green t-shirt and a pair of black shorts. His hair is ungelled for the first time in ages and falls softly down by his ears. One thing he has never been able to part with are his earrings and his two tattoos. In one ear he wears just two small silver hoop earrings and in the other are three small silver hoops. His first tattoo is one of his old high school band he was a part of. It's comprised of a series of stars and curved lines that wrap around his arm along with the words "No fear", which was both the name of their best song and the name of their band.

They all take seats in different places after greeting the others.

"I take it you got the kids all settled in." Tama says.

Seto nods. "Yes. They're all safe with Mimi, Mai, Sanura, and Blue now. Everyone else should arrive soon."

No sooner after he says that, Damian and Riley walk into the backyard fussing over something stupid. Judging by the way Riley keeps gesturing to the large thing Damian's carrying, it has something to do with that. Riley's younger brother, Max, is right behind them adding in his unnecessary two cents when he sees an opening to belittle Damian.

Little has changed for those three; Damian still has long purple hair and still wears all his earrings and purple t-shirts. And he's still dramatic and obsessed with cats. Riley still has long dark blonde hair and is still serious about acting. She also coaches volleyball, something she loved playing when she was in high school. Max is still a little brat and does everything he can to protect his big sister. He's now a school-teacher though, something that no one expected.

After those three take their seats, Katsuya, Honda, Miho, and a long-haired Anzu exit the house laughing about something Katsuya said.

Katsuya is wearing a pink button up silk shirt with dog bones on it that Tama got for him as a joke gift several Christmas's ago and a pair of black pants to go along with it. His blonde hair is the same as always, short enough that he can't pull it back but long enough that it falls into his eyes. He still wears his old dog tags as well, except now he has a new one that reads, "Property of Seto Muto, if found please return".

Honda has the same old spike in his brown hair and is wearing a white t-shirt and brown pants that match his old brown coat. Miho hasn't changed much either, as she still has long light blue hair that she ties back with a yellow ribbon. She's wearing a pretty light blue skirt and a short sleeve white shirt.

Anzu has changed the most. Instead of having short brown hair, it's now down to her waist and her bangs softly frame her face. Also changed is her style, since she now doesn't wear short skirts unless she's dancing or clubbing. For their reunion she's wearing a light pink tube top that has an ivy design across the very top and she's wearing a pair of light blue jeans that have the same ivy design going up the side to her knees.

Yugi and Atemu are after the group of four, shortly followed by Bakura, Yumeri, Mariku, Holly, and an annoyed looking Ryou.

If there's anyone in the group who hasn't changed at all it's Yugi and Atemu. They're hairstyle hasn't at all changed in twenty years and neither has their sense of style, although the leather is now (thankfully) gone.

Bakura's hair is still long and white and Mariku's is still spiky and wild, just like Yumeri's hair is still black and dark red. Bakura is wearing a gray t-shirt and a pair of jeans and Mariku is wearing something similar except he's wearing a blood red shirt. Yumeri has her hair curled and pulled up into a ponytail and is wearing a black tank top and a pair of black shorts. In her ears she wears two large gold hoop earrings. If she were to wear her usual amount of jewelry and a long skirt, she would resemble a gypsy.

Ryou is wearing a light blue shirt and a pair of jeans. He has also pulled his hair back into a ponytail, which is probably the cause of his annoyance. Whenever he pulls his hair into a ponytail Bakura and Mariku, without fail, make fun of him because he looks even more feminine than usual.

They all take their seats as Noa, Nixx, Roman, and Alexandrian arrive. Noa and Nixx are fussing over Mokuba, Noa more to annoy Nixx than anything else, and Roman and Alexandrian are helping Noa.

Otogi and Shizuka are the last to arrive and they walk into the backyard hand-in-hand.

Noa is wearing a plain button-up white shirt and a pair of neatly pressed pants. A tie is loosely draped around his neck. Nixx is wearing a pink shirt, like usual, and is wearing jeans as well. His now short hair is pulled up into a high ponytail. Roman and Alexandrian are dressed identically, just for fun, and are both wearing dark green shirts and navy blue jeans.

Otogi is wearing a simple blue t-shirt and a pair of jeans. His hair is just as long as it was twenty years ago and he still wears it in a ponytail and still wears a headband.

Shizuka's hair is longer than it was before and it is now more wavy from her gently curling it. She's wearing a yellow v-neck shirt and a pretty light green skirt.

"Gather 'round! I absolutely must show you pictures of my adorable children!" Mokuba exclaims, whipping out his wallet.

Tama groans, along with the majority of the group still living in Domino. "Mokuba, we've seen those pictures a billion times!" She exclaims. "Is it entirely necessary to bring them out?"

Mokuba just grins and opens his wallet and lets a chain of pictures tumble out until the end reaches the ground. He picks up the end and points to the pink haired, blue eyed child on the left. "This is our oldest and his name is Ryouzen. And she," He points to the light blue haired, blue-gray eyed child on the right. "is our darling baby girl, Kiri. Isn't she cute!"

"She's adorable!" Anzu, Ashling, and Shizuka squeal.

What seems like several hundred pictures of Kiri and Ryouzen Muto later, they reach the end of the photographs with the most recent being Ryouzen scowling and looking away from the camera with his light pink bangs half covering his eyes and face and dressed in all black and Kiri with a bright smile on her face and her hair pulled up into a ponytail and wearing pink.

"Alright everyone, can I have your attention!" Damian shouts, standing up. "I've got something to show you all."

Everyone falls silent and they all look at Damian expectantly.

"Alright, I've been working on this for nearly a year now and I've finally gotten it finished and can show you." Damian says, lifting up a large, covered, rectangular object. "I give you, my grand masterpiece!" He gleefully pulls away the cover and steps back to let everyone marvel at it.

The entire gang gasps, even Riley who knew he was painting something, and Mokuba, who also paints.

In the painting are two dragons flying in the sky, one smaller than the other. A silver wolf rests on the edge of the woods with a pure white snow leopard laying beside it. In the middle of the painting is a brown cougar laying beside a golden retriever. Flying with the dragons are two phoenix's. Hidden elsewhere in the painting are various other animals, each of them representing someone else in the group.

"It's beautiful." Riley breathes. "So this is what you've been working on all this time." She steps forward and hugs him, giving him a quick kiss on the lips. "I'm sorry for yelling at you."

"Forgiven." Damian whispers, kissing her.

Ashling and Liam exchange glances and grin childishly before saying, "Awww!" And then they break out into song. "Dami' and riley sittin' in a tree!"

"Now excuse me, for I have a pair of twins to declare war on." Damian tells Riley, before he starts chasing Ashling and Liam.

The twins squeal before they jump up and start running around the yard with Damian chasing afte them. Everyone else laughs at their antics, but make no moves to get up and join them.

Holly leans back into Mariku's embrace and sighs softly. "It's such a wonderful summer."

"Yes." Mariku agrees, kissing the top of her head. "Yes, it is."

-END-

_**-F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S-**_

Shiro: Well, happy holidays everyone. This is my gift to you all. And don't worry, there's still more to come. I've got to go over all the in-between scenes and there's still more interlude's.


	29. Interlude 5: Babysitting Duty

Shiro: I have decided to forego the Christmas and Yule interlude this year, for the mere excuse of me not knowing what to write. (and I suppose re-reading Eragon and Eldest in the course of a week doesn't help much.) So instead I give you this cute little idea I thought of while trying to write the Christmas and Yule interlude. Maybe next year I'll have a one-shot for you all. I'm sorry everyone!

Gentle breezes!

_Interlude 5: Babysitting Duty_

There have been few times that Damian has gotten himself landed on babysitting duty by his wife and old friends, and the times he does get to baby-sit he enjoys. What could be more fun than watching your daughter and "nieces" and "nephews"?

June 7th, 2024 is one of those days.

Ryuuji and Shizuka Otogi have flown over to Virginia with their son Kevin, who is 8-years-old. Meanwhile, Damian and Riley have flown down to Virginia with their daughter Ebony, who is 4-years-old. They'll be staying at the Phoenix-Ishtar Lake House with Liam, Anzu, Ashling, Malik, and their children.

And then the adults, with the exception of Damian who's busy cooing over how cute year-old Neil Phoenix, Anzu and Liam's youngest, has gotten, begin planning a night out to go hang out at a local bar that rarely sees any trouble. Damian, of course, gets unanimously voted to baby-sit the children, something he happily accepts.

Of course, that's also how he ended up with a pair of bored 11-year-old twins, a questioning 8-year-old girl, an overly curious red-haired 8-year-old, a sleeping 1-year-old, a hyperactive 5-year-old and an overly dramatic 4-year-old. In other words, Zahur and Kian and Ophelia Ishtar, Kevin Otogi, Neil and Yasuo Phoenix, and Ebony Mizu. (in that order)

"Uncle Dami'," Ophelia crawls onto the couch beside her favorite uncle. "momma said that you grew up around here. Is that true?"

"Sure is." Damian says cheerfully. "I moved here when I was about nine-years-old and lived out on a dirt road for about three years or so."

"Oh." Ophelia falls silent for a minute and Damian takes a moment to scan the room to make sure all of the children, with the exception of Neil who is sleeping in his crib, are still in the room. He sighs in relief when he finds them all still in the room, although Yasuo and Ebony seem to be plotting over in their corner. Or something like that.

"Uncle Dami, can you tell me a story?" Ophelia asks, turning her baby blue eyes onto him. "Pretty please?"

Damian nods. "Of course. Who wants to hear a story?" He asks the others.

Zahur and Kian look up for a moment, both of them thinking about it, and then look back down to their domino's. Kevin looks interested though, and abandons his domino's in favor of climbing up onto the couch beside Ophelia, who, despite the long distance between them, is his best friend. Yasuo and Ebony glance up for a moment and Ebony says, "We're playin' house." And then they go back to their game.

"Alright, here it goes." Damian says. "I'm going to tell you a true story. It's something that happened to me when I was about your two's age and living on that dirt road. You see, there was this one yard that nobody dared to go near because of how strange it was and because of all of the cats that guarded the driveway…"

Damian's tale of the elderly woman and her cats weaves a spell about the room, drawing in all of the kids. By the end of the story when he tells of how the woman disappeared along with all of her cats and how there was no sign of her ever even being there all of them are sitting still and silent.

"Wow." Ophelia whispers, truly enraptured by the tale. "What was her name, uncle?"

Damian hesitates a moment, his eyes flickering between Ophelia and Kevin, an expression of surprise and realization flickering across his face. Finally he says, "That's a tale for another time. However," He holds up a hand when the two 8-year-olds look to protest. "I will tell you this: Ashling told me that if she were to ever have a daughter she would name her daughter after the old woman."

"Did momma know her too?" Zahur asks.

Damian shakes his head. "No. I told her the story back on Halloween one year and she fell in love with the name."

Ophelia's eyes widen. "Its my name. Her name was Ophelia, wasn't it? And she had an uncle Damian just like I do! That's so cool!" She giggles. "I wish I could meet her."

Damian smiles softly. _'If only you knew, dear Ophelia. You already know her.'_ "Well, the woman I knew is long gone now. Now, I've told you a story so how about you two go play."

"Mm'kay." Ophelia says cheerfully. "Come on, Kevin! Lets go find Kibbles and L'il Bit and play with them!"

As the two children run out of the room to go find the two sibling tabby cats, Damian casts his eyes to the ceiling_. 'It seems everything runs in circles and dabbles in magic around me. To think, I've known the woman who became my role model when I was a child I have known now for eight years.' _A small smile plays across his face. _'Ophelia Hathor Otogi, huh? It certainly fits.'_ He lowers his eyes and stands up to go make sure Ophelia and Kevin haven't gotten into too much trouble and to find Yasuo and Ebony, who have wandered from the room. _'I look forward to see how this plays out later. But for now all I can do is encourage their friendship.'_

Strange how things turn out, isn't it?


	30. Deleted Scenes 1 through 7

**Deleted Scene 1** (between chapter 12 and chapter 13)

With part one done and over with for the little plot, Tama initiates part two for operation "confusion". The first day of school she wore the boys school uniform. Today, however, she's wearing something a little different. This time she's actually wearing the girl's school uniform, albeit the vest has been dyed and then bleached so it's a faded red color and the skirt is a midnight blue color with the very end bleached so it's faded. To complete her look she's wearing her hair down and she's wearing lip-gloss that she borrowed from Anzu.

The teacher looks at her in confusion when she comes into the room. "Excuse me, miss. Are you new here?"

Tama smiles sweetly. "I'm new as of yesterday, yes. I'm Tama Muto."

Half of the class gasps in shock while the other half stares in disbelief. Even the teacher is surprised, which is shown when he says, "Oh... alright then. Take your seats everyone!"

Tama makes her way toward the back of the room, managing not to trip as fall as she elegantly takes her seat. By now nearly all of the guys are drooling.

Malik has always said that Tama goes looking for trouble and at the same time trouble comes for her only to turn around and run away in fear. At this moment Tama is looking for trouble and it will come.

One of the football players leans over to her, trying to be discreet, and says, "Hey there. You clean up really good."

"Fuck off." Tama says in a saccharine sweet voice, a false smile on her face.

The football player shivers and backs off, not wanting to mess with the deadly Muto girl.

* * *

**Deleted Scene 2** (chapter 14)

Everyone's on the plane and their heading to the secret location for their vacation spot. Blue's sitting in the back in the seat next to Katsuya's. The others- Yugi, Anzu, Honda, Mokuba, Ryou, and Malik- are sitting a seat or two back playing cards.

"So Blue, shouldn't you be up flying the plane?" Katsuya asks.

"Not unless you all want to die." Blue cheerfully replies. "And since I highly doubt you all want to die in a horrible fiery crash and leave me charged with manslaughter when I miraculously survive, I'm not going to go up there and fly the plane."

Katsuya looks at Blue in disbelief, his mouth agape. It takes him a minute or two to collect his thoughts and continue the conversation. "So what you're saying is that we got two madmen-"

"One's a mad woman." Blue interrupts.

"A madman and a mad woman," Katsuya corrects. "Up there flying the plane. Do they even got a license?!"

"Yes and yes."

"Great..." Katsuya sarcastically says. Then he thinks of something rather important. "Wait, but then how did you get to the place where you picked us up? You had to fly there, right?"

Blue smiles happily. "Autopilot!"

Katsuya face faults at the craziness of it all.

* * *

**Deleted Scene 3 **(chapter 15)

Damian, Ashling, Liam, and Nixx are in Damian's old station wagon after Damian and Nixx "kidnapped" Liam and Ashling just minutes earlier.

"I hope you've perfected your method of getting dressed in the back of a moving car." Damian cheerfully tells Ashling.

Ashling looks at her friend in confusion. "Huh?"

"Unless you want to walk into IHOP wearing your pajama's." Damian elaborates.

Ashling glares at her twin, who just gives her an innocent look in return. "I should have known something was up when you wore day clothes to bed." She grumbles.

Liam grins. "What can I say? I'd rather not get dressed in the back of the wagon."

"You should thank him for saving us from the horrible, unholy sight of him changing." Damian comments.

"I wouldn't mind." Nixx speaks up.

Ashling and Damian both roll their eyes while Liam shrinks back toward the door and away from Nixx.

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me." Ashling says.

* * *

**Deleted Scene 4** (chapter 15)

Damian, Nixx, Liam, and Ashling are at IHOP and everyone is dressed, even Ashling who had to get dressed in the back of the moving station wagon. They're sitting at a round booth and Damian and Ashling are the ones on the outside while Nixx is beside Damian and Liam and Liam is between Nixx and Ashling.

"Damian, my love!" Nixx exclaims, putting a hand over his heart. He flutters his eyelashes for emphasis. "I praise thee and ye amazing pancake eating skills!"

Damian gives a short bow. "Why thank ye, kind sir!" He says. "And I'm not your love!"

Nixx practically glomps Damian, hugging the taller boy tightly. "Yes you are!" With that exclamation, he nuzzles Damian's cheek.

"Lexus! GET OFF!" Damian roars.

Ashling and Liam try to hide their laughter, but don't do a very good job at it.

"Never! I'll never let go!" Nixx dramatically says.

"You will or else I'll leave you behind at the first hotel we stop at!" Damian threatens.

Nixx is still nuzzling Damian's cheek, not at all threatened by the threat. "You wouldn't do that to me! You love me! You'd miss me too much."

"No I wouldn't!" Damian stubbornly says.

"Yes you would!" Nixx, Liam, and Ashling exclaim.

"Okay, maybe a little." Damian gives in.

Nixx lets go of Damian and smiles happily. "Yay! You do love me!" And then he kisses Damian's cheek.

Damian jumps about two feet into the air while yelling, "LEXUS!!!"

Ashling and Liam just roar with laughter, making no moves to help their friend.

* * *

**Deleted Scene 5** (chapter 15)

Ashling, Liam, Damian, and Nixx have made it to the Poplar's house after their car troubles and Riley and Max have just been subjected to the first of many of Damian's dramatic speeches and acting.

"Is he always like this?" Riley asks Ashling and Liam.

"Yeah." Ashling replies. "And sometimes he's worse. You should have seen him at my and Liam's birthday party. It was crazy. Him and Nixx made up this whole dramatic scene and at first we thought they weren't acting because it was so believable. But then they started getting really dramatic and exaggerated motions and words too much."

Riley raises an eyebrow, wondering just how crazy to two odd hair-colored boys are. "Sounds like fun."

Ashling giggles at the memory. "It was."

"I brought the pictures!" Liam exclaims. "We can show them off later. And you forgot the part where Alex and Roman burst into the house in masks and kidnapped us and took us bowling."

Ashling laughs at that memory. "Oh yeah! That was awesome!"

"Who?" Max asks.

"Alexandrian and Roman Lexus." Liam replies. "They're Nixx's older brothers and they're the same age as us. Oh, and Ash has a crush on Roman!"

"Liam!" Ashling yells. "I do not!"

_"Ashling and Roman, sittin' in a tree!"_ Liam sings. He ducks a punch from his twin and continues, with Nixx joining in. _"K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"_

Nixx squeaks as Ashling tries to hit him and then runs behind Damian and jumps on the purple-haired boy's back. "Save me!"

"For the last time, Lexus! I am not your knight in shining armor!" Damian yells. "Now get off of me!"

* * *

**Deleted Scene 6** (chapter 16)

Tama's sitting on her bed in her and Malik's shared room and is brushing her hair when Seto walks into the room dressed in form-fitting black clothes, boots, and buckles.

Tama sets down the brush as Seto makes his way across the room. Taking in the way he's dressed, she figures out exactly why he's in the room.

"Seto, tell me you are _not _looking for that Ra accursed coat."

Seto doesn't say a word as he opens the closet and disappears into it.

Tama narrows her eyes. "Seto...!" She says warningly.

Seto walks out of the closet with a triumphant smirk on his face. In his arms is something white and red with silver buttons. "Behold!" He announces, shaking out the leather. He expertly puts it on and turns to face Tama with open arms. "My coat of intimidation!"

Tama snorts. "More like the coat of gravity defying wonder."

* * *

**Deleted Scene 7** (chapter 17)

The entire gang- the four Muto's, the two Jounouchi's, Honda, Malik, Anzu, and Ryou- are at the Dragon's Den and have just finished getting ready for Otogi's Halloween party. Now they're nearly ready to leave.

"Alright, now there's just one thing left to do before we go." Tama says.

The others look at Tama in confusion.

"Which would be...?" Honda asks.

Tama grins and holds up a camera. "Picture time! Mainly so we can forever remember Mokuba in a dress!"

Everyone else sweat drops.

"It'll be something interesting to show the kids, that." Mokuba says, mock-seriously.

All of the others laugh at that statement.

_**--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--D-E-L-E-T-E-D--S-C-E-N-E-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--**_

Shiro: This is only the first of the deleted scenes. The rest of the deleted scenes are from the chapters I decided I wasn't going to do. In other words, the rest of the deleted scenes are from the original chapters 24-35. And for this first seven, I'd have to say 2 and 6 are my favorites. Enjoy!


	31. Deleted Scenes 8 through 14

**Deleted Scene 8** (the original chapter 24)

January 5, 2009

Katsuya and Seto are at the park for their first date of the year. Both of them are dressed warmly, and Katsuya's hearing a hat that has little dog bones on it.

"This is nice." Katsuya comments, looking around. "Although I wish it were warmer."

Seto glances down at the blonde and then wraps his arms around his boyfriend's shoulders. "Still cold?" He asks gently.

A light blush spreads across Katsuya's face. "Not really."

The two walk further into the park, admiring the snowy scenery and enjoying the moment of time alone with one another. The silence is soon broken by the sound of yelling from a little ways ahead.

"Do you hear that?" Katsuya asks, trying to listen and see if he recognizes the voices.

Seto nods. "It sounds almost like one of Bakura and Yumeri's fights."

The two stop and exchange glances.

"You... you don't think..." Katsuya trails off, knowing Seto already knows what he's talking about.

"How could it be?" Seto asks, glancing down the path before he looks back at Katsuya. "Tama, Ryou, Malik, and Yugi are their reincarnations, right?"

Katsuya looks unsure at the question. "Somehow I don't think so. I mean, Yugi and Yami dated for a while. And the yami's souls were trapped in the Millennium items so how could they have been reincarnated then?"

Seto looks at Katsuya in surprise.

"What?" Katsuya asks.

"You just said something smart." Seto teasingly tells his boyfriend. "You're not ill, are you?" He lays his hand on Katsuya's forehead, pretending to check his temperature. "You don't feel warm."

Katsuya scowls and smacks away Seto's hand. "Ha ha, very funny." He says.

In the distance the yell of, "Shut up already! Bakura, stop teasing Atemu! Atemu, _ignore him_!" can be heard.

Katsuya looks at Seto. "You have to admit that that was too freaky to just be a coincidence."

"Agreed."

"Lets check it out!" Katsuya says, starting to walk forward. Seto stops him by grabbing his hand and tugging him back. "What?"

"Use your head, Katsuya." Seto says firmly. "What will running up to them accomplish if it's not even them?"

Katsuya glares at him. "I gotta at least check! If it is them then the others deserve to know! Especially Yugi!"

Seto gently pulls Katsuya out of the middle of the path and quickly formulates the best way to convince his blonde puppy that running up to a group of people, especially if the people in the group have all died, isn't a good thing to do. He runs a hand through his hair and starts talking, fixing his blue eyes on Katsuya. "Listen, I agree with you that we should see if it's them, but we have to be smart about it. If it is them then it will be their reincarnations that will not remember us. We have to do this tactfully."

Katsuya sighs and agrees just in time to see who appear to be Atemu, Yumeri, Bakura, and Mariku come around the bend in the path where a bunch of bushes block the rest of the path from sight. Like usual, Atemu, Bakura, and Yumeri are arguing and Mariku is staying out of it.

"Honestly! Use your heads, the both of you!" Yumeri exclaims, glaring fiercely at the spiky-haired teen and the white haired teen beside her.

"He started it." Atemu says crossly, glaring at Bakura.

Yumeri turns her focus on Atemu, which makes the taller flinch under her glare of death. Bakura just snickers. "I don't give a damn about who started it!" She growls. "I will finish it!"

A little ways down the path from the four, Katsuya leans over toward Seto and comments, "I'd say there's a good chance that it's them. And that's just going by their argument and not at all because it even looks like them."

Seto gives Katsuya a warning look that clearly says, 'Don't do anything stupid'.

"It's the truth!" Katsuya exclaims, catching the attention of Mariku, who quietly tells his companions, "Two people ahead. Male couple."

That statement makes Bakura smirk. "Hey Atemu--"

Atemu glares at him and cuts the white-haired teen off before he can finish the sentence. "If you say one more fucking joke about that I will rip your head off and stuff it up your ass where it belongs!" He hisses.

Bakura pays no mind. "Inbred fool."

Atemu clenches his fists. "I'm going to--"

Yumeri walks up behind the two and smacks the both of them in the back of their heads. "Stop it!" She orders them with a hiss.

By now Katsuya has formed his own plan and, ignoring Seto, runs toward them with a smile on his face. "Yugi! Tama! Ryou! There you--" He stops suddenly in front of them, his smile fading from his face. "Sorry about that. You guys look like friends of mine."

Seto catches up with Katsuya at this time. "I told you not to do that!" He tells him.

Bakura snickers and, being Bakura, just has to make a comment. "Guess you'll just have to punish him tonight."

Atemu twitches, knowing exactly what Bakura's trying to imply.

Yumeri rolls her eyes and smacks Bakura on the head. "Stop making a fool out of yourself!"

Mariku remains silent, looking at the birds in the trees like they're the most interesting things in the world.

"Please ignore him. I'm Yumeri Yami, by the way. He-" She points at Atemu. "-is my cousin Atemu Yami. And he-" She points at Mariku. "-is Mariku Ishtar, an old friend of mine. This-" She jabs her finger at Bakura. "-is my no-good boyfriend, the great idiot Bakura Khalid."

Ignoring the way Bakura tries to bite Yumeri's finger for calling him an idiot, Katsuya goes on and introduces himself and Seto. "I'm Katsuya Jounouchi and he's Seto Muto."

Yumeri pushes Bakura away and steps toward Mariku. "I have got to know, do you really have a friend who has hair like his?" She asks, pointing at Atemu, who looks about reading to punch Bakura in the face.

Katsuya cheerfully nods. "Yup!"

"Oh, this I've got to see." Bakura comments. "Is he just as short as he is?"

Atemu glares. "Fuck you."

"No thanks, I don't swing that way." Bakura almost lazily says, smirking when Atemu turns red in anger.

While those two are busy fighting, Yumeri talks to Katsuya and Seto and learns that they have friends who look a little like each of them. Soon the three are setting up a meeting date so they can all meet one another. They choose January tenth and choose a time and a place to each and then they're on their ways.

Once the four are out of hearing distance Katsuya looks up at Seto. "See, I handled that just fine."

Seto smiles. "Yes, you did." He slips his hand over Katsuya's and gives it a small squeeze. "Now what do you say to going home and getting warmed up?"

Katsuya threads his fingers through Seto's and looks up at the brunette and smiles. "I won't argue with that. Lets go!"

* * *

**Deleted Scene 9** (the original chapter 24)

January 10, 2009 - Domino Park

Katsuya, Seto, Ryou, Malik, and Tama are all standing in the park early in the morning on the one day none of them have any morning classes at college. The ex-yami's are nowhere to be seen.

"Jounouchi, exactly why are we here early on a day we should be sleeping in?" Tama asks sleepily. Right after she says that she yawns.

"Because there's some people I want you guys to meet." Katsuya says, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet. He seems to be the only one who is awake and aware. "I think you'll be pleasantly surprised." He looks around the park and grins when he sees a splash of red against the white snow. "Here they come! Hey guys, over here!"

Yumeri, Bakura, Mariku, and Atemu soon come around a corner where the view is blocked by a bush and Tama and Ryou both gasp. Malik isn't surprised since he overheard Seto and Katsuya talking about it and later questioned the two.

"So it really is them." Malik murmurs.

"I'm sure you can figure out who's who, but just in case..." Katsuya proceeds to introduce everyone and then steps back to let them talk to one another.

"So where is Atemu's double?" Yumeri asks, noticing there's one person missing from the other group.

"I-" Katsuya begins to say, "I don't know." but is cut off when Yugi runs up to them breathing heavily.

"Sorry I'm late!" Yugi apologizes when he's caught his breath. "Grandpa needed me to climb up the ladder in the storage room to get something and--" He looks around and catches sight of Atemu. Immediately his body freezes up in shock.

Seto quickly moves forward and rests a hand on Yugi's shoulder. "These are the people Katsuya and I wanted you to meet, Yugi. That's Bakura Khalid, Mariku Ishtar, Yumeri Yami, and Atemu Yami." He then whispers, "It's them but it's not them." so that Yugi won't ask them how they're alive or anything similar.

Yugi smiles unsurely at the four ex-spirits. "Hello."

Bakura looks amazed that there's someone with hair like Atemu's while Yumeri looks amused and Atemu looks a little confused. Mariku is busy looking at Malik, an unreadable expression on his face.

"I don't believe it." Yumeri says. She looks back and forth between Yugi and Atemu. "If it weren't for your different skin colors I'd swear the two of you were twins."

While Yugi and Atemu both protest that they look alike, Mariku is busy sneaking up behind Malik. Malik remains unaware of Mariku's presence until the taller blonde says something.

"Hello, hi-ka-ri." Mariku says, accentuating each syllable.

Malik stiffens. "You remember?"

Mariku steps out from behind Malik with a smirk. "How could I forget a cousin who I loved to torture? Even if it has been _years_."

Malik's jaw almost drops, but he collects himself and stares straight ahead. 'No fucking way. Not this nutcase cousin of mine. But this makes no sense, he looks just like--' His eyes widen. 'It's not Yugi, Tama, Ryou, and I who are their reincarnations. It's them!'

Mariku hums a little tune and hops back over to his friends.

"Great... Just great." Malik grumbles.

* * *

**Deleted Scene 10** (chapter 25)

February 14, 2009

Valentines Day has always been a problem for them all. Particularly Ryou, Seto, Mokuba, Tama, Anzu, and Miho. Ashling and Liam never had much of a problem before, but they were always surrounded by their friends back in Virginia. However, this year is a little different.

Tama and Yumeri stand on the side of the hallway of the local hangout of all of the college kids. It's actually an old abandoned high school that a group of previous college students started up so everyone would have a safe haven. But seeing as how it's Valentine's Day it's more of a war zone rather than a safe haven.

"I swear if I get one more Ra-accursed Valentine's Day gift I will strangle someone!" Tama rants. "All day long it's been, 'here Tama!' or 'Go out with me, Tama!' It's driving me abso-bloody-lutely insane!"

Yumeri rolls her eyes. She's been listening to Tama's ranting for the past five minutes. "Oh please. It's not that bad."

Tama glares at the older woman. "Not that bad? You aren't the one getting bombarded with gifts because all of the guys are too scared of you _and _your bloody boyfriend!"

Yumeri just shrugs. "Then get yourself a guy or make yourself more unappealing to guys." She smirks, recalling a conversation she had with Tama a few days before. "Or you could say you're a lesbian."

"I AM NOT GAY, DAMN IT!" Tama yells angrily, her face going red.

"I never said you were." Yumeri says teasingly.

Ashling suddenly runs past all decked out in her new 'gothic' dress, boots, fingerless gloves, and skull earrings. "I'm engaged, darn it! Leave me alone!" She yells, trying to deter the group of guys chasing after her.

Yumeri raises an eyebrow at Ashling's lack of use of cuss words while Tama sighs. "Malik's gonna be pissed when he sees this."

"Look! It's Tama Muto!" A random boy shouts.

Yumeri looks rather amused when a bunch of boys turn and look around for Tama. "I'd run." She advises.

Tama rolls her eyes and picks up her bag. "Thanks for the advice." She grumbles before she takes off running down the hall.

Yumeri is alone for a few minutes and then Seto storms past her in a worse mood than he usually is on Valentine's Day. Katsuya is right behind Seto, trying to convince the brunette of something. Yumeri sits back and watches the scene unfold. She always finds great amusement in watching people fight.

"It's not a big deal, Seto." Katsuya says.

"Yes it is!" Seto argues, determined to not listen to his blonde puppy.

Katsuya finally gets fed up enough with Seto's attitude and walks forward and pins Seto against the wall. "Listen to me! I don't care about the stupid secret admirer! Why would I when I have you? Besides, it's probably just Otogi being an ass."

Seto's expression softens a little.

Yumeri can't take the amount of fluffiness and decides to break up the little moment. She pretends to throw up to get their attention and smirks when she's got it. "Honestly, how mushy could the two of you get?"

Seto glares. "You try having both your younger brother and your boyfriend discover they have secret admirers on the same day!"

Yumeri pretends to examine her nails as if they're more interesting than the conversation she's having. "I don't particularly want to." She says.

Before Seto can make a retort or Katsuya can make a very blonde remark, Atemu and Yugi walk over to them holding hands. Yumeri and Katsuya both notice before Seto does.

"It's about time you asked him, Atemu." Yumeri says. "I was just about ready to go tell him for you. Wouldn't that have been fun?"

Atemu turns slightly pink. "Shut up, Yumeri."

* * *

**Deleted Scene 11** (Chapter 25)

Damian, Holly, and the Lexus brothers stand outside of the Dragon's Den in the dark with their suitcases. Damian makes them all be quiet and then he rings the doorbell. They have to wait a few minutes before Tama answers the door. When she does, Damian is the first to say something.

"We're baaaaack!" He says happily.

Tama stares for a second and then tackles Damian with a hug. "Dami! It's so nice to see you!" She lets go of him and takes a step back. "Hello boys and- who is this?" She asks upon seeing Holly.

Holly smiles. "I'm Holly Gull! It's so nice to meet you!"

Tama smiles as well, already liking the hyperactive brunette girl. "Come on in! I'll get everyone else up." She turns around and leads them down the hall and into the living room. Once there she takes a deep breath of air and yells, "Seto! Malik! Mokuba! Ashling! Liam! Get your lazy butt's up and get downstairs!"

Curses can be heard because of Tama's method of waking them up and then there's the occasional 'thump' of someone rolling out of bed. Tama just smiles and tells the new arrivals that they can set down their suitcases.

Malik is the first to get downstairs.

"Hells bells, Tama! What the-" He sees the five visitors and cuts off his sentence. "Oh. Hello." He dully waves and then moves out of the way as Ashling stumbles down the stairs.

As tired as she is, Ashling can't form the right words in Japanese and instead speaks in English until she's awake. _"What's going on?" _She sleepily asks. And then she sees Holly, and although that right there wakes her up she's far too excited to speak in Japanese. _"Holly-chan!"_ She squeals happily.

Holly jumps up and claps her hands._ "Ashling-chan!" _She squeals just as happily.

The two run toward one another and hug. One can just imagine the amount of nonexistent hearts floating around them. And their little moment occurs just as Seto, Mokuba, and Liam come down the stairs. Seto and Mokuba look at the two in surprise while Liam just rolls his eyes, used to this happening. Then he focuses his attention on Damian.

"You're late." He comments, crossing his arms over his chest.

"There's a very good reason we're late." Damian says matter-of-factly. "It was snowing."

Holly and Ashling stop hugging one another to pay attention to the conversation going on.

Liam raises an eyebrow. "In California?"

Damian stamps his foot childishly. "The stupid white powder kept the plane from taking off!"

"Dami', you love snow." Ashling points out.

"That's not the point!" Damian exclaims.

Roman rolls his eyes and decides to add his two cents to the conversation. "And we're late because the purple-haired idiot forgot to remove his dagger and then all of the bags had to be searches because _someone _started talking about _explosives_." He glares at Holly.

"We were discussing firecrackers!" Holly exclaims.

"Same difference." Roman replies.

Seto sighs; tired of the way the conversation is going. "Exactly why are you all here?"

"To help Ashling plan her wedding, of course!" Holly exclaims in a tone that suggests that it's obvious. "That and I've been accepted here at Domino College and those three-" She gestures to Damian, Roman, Alexandrian, and Nixx. "-have some big project they're working on. And Nixx decided he wanted to go to Domino High School."

"Well, you're all welcome to spend the night, although rooming might be a problem." Tama says. "We've got two cots, but Ashling and Liam are using those. There is the couch, the recliner, and the spare bedroom though. But two people will have to sleep on the floor or share a bed or something."

"Nixx and I could share the spare bedroom." Holly says. "The two of us share a mattress whenever we have sleepovers anyway. Well, it's us and a few others so just the two of us shouldn't be that bad."

"And I trust Damian enough to let him share my cot. It'll be just like old times when me, him, and Liam would stay up late and eventually fall asleep together on the couch!" Ashling says.

Seto yawns and begins heading for the stairs. "Great. Alexandrian and Roman can have the couch and recliner. Now that sleeping arrangements are settled, I'm going back to bed. I suggest you all do the same."

* * *

**Deleted Scene** 12 (chapter 26)

Two weeks before Malik and Tama's wedding, Ashling and Liam's family arrives in Domino City to help with preparations and to meet Malik's family. That only means trouble when Ashling's grandmother tries everything to get Ashling and Malik to cancel the wedding.

One day while Ashling is busy choosing what flowers she wants and what arrangements she wants the phone rings and Tama goes to answer it. She looks up when Tama returns from answering the phone and sees an amused smile on her soon-to-be-cousin-in-law's face.

"Ashling, your grandmother wants to meet you and Malik for lunch." Tama informs Ashling. She's finding the whole family war thing quite amusing. Obviously Yumeri has been rubbing off on her.

"Peachy." Ashling grumbles. "This should be a jolly lunch."

Tama rolls her eyes and sits down in a place where there are no magazines. "Probably more like awkward silence. When do you want me to send in someone with an 'emergency'?"

Ashling sighs. "Give us twenty minutes."

"Gotcha."

* * *

**Deleted Scene 13** (chapter 26)

Tama's sitting in the living room on the couch looking over some important papers for class while Ashling and Malik try to sneak past. Just as they get to the doorway to the hallway, Tama bursts their bubble. "No sneaking out."

Malik and Ashling both stop and sigh in defeat. And then Malik turns around to talk to his cousin. "Damn it! How do you always do that?!"

Tama grins. "I'm a girl. And you two have tried this every day at this exact time ever since Ashling's family arrived."

Ashling gives Malik a look. "See! I told you we were being too predictable!"

Malik just shrugs.

"Daddy and Kiba are arriving today so don't go running off." Tama informs them.

Malik breathes a sigh of relief. "Finally! Sane people are coming to help!"

Ashling raises an eyebrow.

"Ash, no offense but your family is insane." Malik says.

"And yours isn't?" Ashling asks in a tone that dares him to disagree.

Malik remains silent, knowing what his fiancé said is true.

Tama turns the page over and remarks, "She has a point."

Malik glares at Tama. "Shut up."

Then the door slams open and Kiba walks briskly down the hall and steps into the living room. He's all decked out in a black t-shirt with the words "No Fear" in dripping red letters and black baggy jeans with red belts and chains. On his feet are black combat boots with red and black shoestrings. He's also wearing black armbands and any piece of jewelry he can possibly wear without looking like a complete idiot. Tattooed on his upper arm in black ink with a series of lines and stars are the words "No Fear". He's also carrying a skateboard.

"Are you ready to rock?!" He yells out, holding his skateboard in the air.

Tama rolls her eyes. "No skateboarding in the house, Kiba." She says.

"Curses! Foiled again!" Kiba yells out melodramatically. "How do you always do that?"

"Because she's a girl." Malik and Ashling say in unison, their tone amused.

Kiba laughs while Tama proudly says, "I have them trained well."

* * *

**Deleted Scene** 14 (chapter 26)

Ashling has been introduced to Kiba and the two held a conversation in Pig Latin for a few minutes, which confused the hell out of Malik and Tama who couldn't understand a word of what they were saying. Now Kojiro Muto is inside and has been introduced to Ashling.

Kojiro smiles and envelops Ashling in a hug. "Welcome to the family, dear."

"Thanks, Mr. Muto." Ashling says politely, hugging him back.

Kojiro takes a step back. "Now, we can't have that. You can either call me 'dad' or Kojiro. Or Uncle. I never could get Malik to call me 'dad'."

Malik looks away, a small frown on his face.

Ashling giggles a little. "Alright. Kojiro."

"That a girl!" Kojiro happily says. "Now, where's the rest of the happy family?"

Tama shrugs and crosses out something on the paper she's looking out. "For all I know Seto has run off with Katsuya to escape the madness of the wedding; Mokuba has been kidnapped by Nixx, who it seems has a crush on him; Yugi's off on a date with Atemu; and Liam is with Anzu, Roman, Alexandrian, Holly, and Shizuka."

"Staying busy is good." Kiba remarks. "So, why aren't you off having fun?"

"Because I have to finish this and someone has to make sure Ashling and Malik don't go running off and elope or something." Tama replies.

"Darn, how'd she figure out our master plan?" Ashling jokingly asks.

Tama looks up and grins. "It's because I'm a girl."

_**--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--D-E-L-E-T-E-D--S-C-E-N-E-S--F-A-M-I-L-Y--B-O-N-D-S--**_

Shiro: So I finally got off my lazy butt and typed up the latest Deleted Scenes. In a way this set of DS is just in time, what with the Valentines Day scene and V-day coming up soon. (groans) Goddess... I hate Valentines Day. Which is exactly why I'm working on a V-day fic that has the children of these guys ((you know, Yugi, Katsuya, and the rest)) off making fun of the day and basically ruining the school dance. Lots of fun. Unfortunently I'm going to have to put in a few fluffy scenes. (pouts)

Bast: Until the next time hikari gets off her lazy butt!

Shiro: Bye-bye! (waves)


End file.
